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Isn't that all Orthodox churches, not just the Serbian? My wife's a bit of a Russophile. So in years where we forgot to do the holiday shopping, we exchange g

Isn't that all Orthodox churches, not just the Serbian? My wife's a bit of a Russophile. So in years where we forgot to do the holiday shopping, we exchange gifts on Russian Christmas (i. e. January 7, Gregorian). Or, if we're really forgetful, Russian New Year.

icebraining 9y ago
Curiously, January 7 is also when many Spanish families exchange gifts, supposedly as a celebration of the arrival of the Magi/Three Wise Kings (who brought gifts to Jesus). This is much to the annoyance of Spanish kids with foreign friends :)
- greglindahl 9y ago
  It's amusing that Twelfth Night is so little known, despite the play, the "12 days of Christmas", and so on.
  - madcaptenor 9y ago
    I suspect if you asked most people when the 12 days of Christmas are, they'd say they were December 14-25 (or maybe even 13-24). After all, that's when you buy the presents!
- Mikeb85 9y ago
  That holiday is Epiphany, which is a separate holiday (and I believe actually falls on the 6th of January on the Gregorian calendar).
- Grustaf 9y ago
  Yes, but that is a coincidence. Russians celebrate Christmas on December 25th like everyone else (except some norther Europeans, we celebrate on the eve), it's just that their view of when it is December 25th differs.
  - icebraining 9y ago
    Yes, it's a coincidence, that's why I find it curious :)
  - goptimize 9y ago
    Christmas in Russia is celebrated on 7 January
    - Grustaf 9y ago
      My point was that no, the holidays are celebrated on the same dates throughout the Christian world, but depending on which calendar you use those dates fall on different days. Today for example it's August 10th in many Orthodox churches, while most others would say it's the 23rd.
nradov 9y ago
Not all. Some have switched to Gregorian calendar.
RightMillennial 9y ago
At least in the U.S., the Antiochian and Greek Orthodox churches primarily use the Gregorian calendar (e.g., Christmas is on Dec. 25). However, Pascha and its related feasts are still determined using the Julian calendar which happened to fall on the same day as the Western Easter this year (Apr. 16).
- greglindahl 9y ago
  Christians agree that Easter is computed using a lunar calendar, however, various sects use different methods for computing lunar leap months. Passover is also on the lunar calendar.
  - Mikeb85 9y ago
    Easter (or Pascha/some derivative as it's called in most non-English countries - which comes from Passover) is basically Passover + a bunch of days (remember the story of the Crucifixion then Resurrection).
  - RightMillennial 9y ago
    My mistake. For some reason I was thinking there was still some component of the Julian calendar used with the calculation even though it is lunar based.
dijit 9y ago
(not so) interesting fact: Russians celebrate new years much like we celebrate Christmas (gift giving, family meal etc;) This is due to the Soviet Unions downplaying of religion, but understanding the need of a yearly get-together. So, my girlfriend celebrates NYE as if it were Christmas, Christmas is seen as "not really important" and she didn't even have a concept of Christmas being on Dec 25th (which, consequently was when she was born herself)
- greglindahl 9y ago
  Russians currently celebrate Christmas by being mostly drunk between Orthodox Christmas and Twelfth Night.
rdtsc 9y ago
Nah it depends. Romania is also an Orthodox Christian country but uses the Western calendar. They still have Easter on the same day because that's calculated separately, but they celebrate Christmas on different days - Dec 25th vs Jan 7th.
Grustaf 9y ago
It's basically the slavic orthodox countries that use the old calendar, plus certain groups that have more or less broken out of other churches. The monasteries on Athos also use the old calendar, even the monasteries that belong to new calendarist jurisdictions. A fun fact is that visas to Athos, which is a semi-autonomous island in Greece where only men are allowed (not even female animals!) and that prince Charles loves, are issued in the Julian calendar. It's worth noting that even most new calendarists, like the Greeks, still celebrate Easter at a different date than the Catholics. The calendar question is extremely infected and especially the Russians consider it a very crucial issue. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Athos https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Athos

icebraining 9y ago

Curiously, January 7 is also when many Spanish families exchange gifts, supposedly as a celebration of the arrival of the Magi/Three Wise Kings (who brought gifts to Jesus). This is much to the annoyance of Spanish kids with foreign friends :)

greglindahl 9y ago
It's amusing that Twelfth Night is so little known, despite the play, the "12 days of Christmas", and so on.
- madcaptenor 9y ago
  I suspect if you asked most people when the 12 days of Christmas are, they'd say they were December 14-25 (or maybe even 13-24). After all, that's when you buy the presents!
Mikeb85 9y ago
That holiday is Epiphany, which is a separate holiday (and I believe actually falls on the 6th of January on the Gregorian calendar).
Grustaf 9y ago
Yes, but that is a coincidence. Russians celebrate Christmas on December 25th like everyone else (except some norther Europeans, we celebrate on the eve), it's just that their view of when it is December 25th differs.
- icebraining 9y ago
  Yes, it's a coincidence, that's why I find it curious :)
- goptimize 9y ago
  Christmas in Russia is celebrated on 7 January
  - Grustaf 9y ago
    My point was that no, the holidays are celebrated on the same dates throughout the Christian world, but depending on which calendar you use those dates fall on different days. Today for example it's August 10th in many Orthodox churches, while most others would say it's the 23rd.

nradov 9y ago

Not all. Some have switched to Gregorian calendar.

RightMillennial 9y ago

At least in the U.S., the Antiochian and Greek Orthodox churches primarily use the Gregorian calendar (e.g., Christmas is on Dec. 25). However, Pascha and its related feasts are still determined using the Julian calendar which happened to fall on the same day as the Western Easter this year (Apr. 16).

greglindahl 9y ago
Christians agree that Easter is computed using a lunar calendar, however, various sects use different methods for computing lunar leap months. Passover is also on the lunar calendar.
- Mikeb85 9y ago
  Easter (or Pascha/some derivative as it's called in most non-English countries - which comes from Passover) is basically Passover + a bunch of days (remember the story of the Crucifixion then Resurrection).
- RightMillennial 9y ago
  My mistake. For some reason I was thinking there was still some component of the Julian calendar used with the calculation even though it is lunar based.

dijit 9y ago

(not so) interesting fact: Russians celebrate new years much like we celebrate Christmas (gift giving, family meal etc;) This is due to the Soviet Unions downplaying of religion, but understanding the need of a yearly get-together. So, my girlfriend celebrates NYE as if it were Christmas, Christmas is seen as "not really important" and she didn't even have a concept of Christmas being on Dec 25th (which, consequently was when she was born herself)

greglindahl 9y ago
Russians currently celebrate Christmas by being mostly drunk between Orthodox Christmas and Twelfth Night.

rdtsc 9y ago

Nah it depends. Romania is also an Orthodox Christian country but uses the Western calendar. They still have Easter on the same day because that's calculated separately, but they celebrate Christmas on different days - Dec 25th vs Jan 7th.

Grustaf 9y ago

It's basically the slavic orthodox countries that use the old calendar, plus certain groups that have more or less broken out of other churches. The monasteries on Athos also use the old calendar, even the monasteries that belong to new calendarist jurisdictions. A fun fact is that visas to Athos, which is a semi-autonomous island in Greece where only men are allowed (not even female animals!) and that prince Charles loves, are issued in the Julian calendar. It's worth noting that even most new calendarists, like the Greeks, still celebrate Easter at a different date than the Catholics. The calendar question is extremely infected and especially the Russians consider it a very crucial issue. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Athos https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Athos