hristmas is still in full-swing for the 12% of Christians globally who are Orthodox and celebrate the holiday during the first week of January.

Orthodox Christians, who are estimated to number between 250 and 300 million people, hold the same tenets as other Christian denominations, but differ in certain practices, among them being the day they partake in certain holidays. Easter, for instance, is also typically celebrated on a different day because Orthodox Christians elected to follow a distinct calendar after they broke from the Catholic church.Where did December 25 come from?
Many historians believe that celebrating Christmas in December is tied to the pagan tradition of holding celebrations for the winter solstice, which is around Dec. 21.

 

 

 

 

This time of year is also tied to the Roman Empire’s custom of celebrating the rebirth of the Sol Invictus, which commemorated a return to days with more hours of sunlight. It’s speculated that religious leaders likely chose to observe Christmas in late December to persuade people to stop celebrating pagan holidays, though others argue that it is because Sextus Julius Africanus, a Roman Christian historian, tied Jesus’ conception to March 25. Nine months after that date would be Dec. 25.

The Roman festival of Saturnalia, celebrating the Roman god Saturn, also falls around Dec. 25. Saturnalia was commemorated by decorating houses with greenery, lights, and the exchange of gifts.

The Roman church officially began celebrating Christmas on Dec. 25 once Christianity became the official religion of the Roman empire and Pope Julius I declared the 25th as the holiday date in the 4th century AD.

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Who celebrates Orthodox Christmas?

The largest number of Orthodox Christians live in eastern and southeastern Europe, including Russia and Ukraine. There are also significant Orthodox Christian populations in the Middle East and in Ethiopia.