In numerous Orthodox regions, the celebration of Christmas takes place on January 7th, diverging from the widespread observance on December 25th among most Christians from Catholic and Protestant traditions. While December 25th is recognized as a public holiday in many countries, there are exceptions where Christmas is designated as a public holiday on January 7th.
Eastern European countries like Belarus, Macedonia, Moldova, Montenegro, Serbia, Russia, as well as Georgia and Kazakhstan, observe Christmas as a public holiday on January 7th. In North-east Africa, Egypt and Ethiopia mark Christmas Day on January 7th, while Armenia opts for January 6th.
These nations predominantly follow the Orthodox tradition, and in certain instances, all Christians, including minority groups like Protestants, commemorate Christmas on January 7th. Ukraine was part of this group until 2023 when, for political and cultural reasons, it shifted Christmas celebrations from January 7th to December 25th.
The historical schism between Eastern and Western Christianity, dating back nearly a thousand years to the Great Schism in 1054 AD, led to the establishment of the Eastern Orthodox Church and the Western Catholic spheres. Despite this division, both traditions initially concurred on celebrating Christmas on December 25th. The divergence arises from the utilization of different calendars; the Orthodox calendar employs the Julian calendar, causing December 25th in the Julian calendar to coincide with January 7th in the Gregorian calendar.
Contrary to misconceptions, the contrasting Christmas days do not indicate a dispute over the actual birth date of Jesus. Instead, it reflects a matter of calendar preference, recognizing the unknown nature of Jesus’ exact birth date. Therefore, the emphasis lies on commemorating the event rather than fixating on a specific calendar date.