Christmas: the history and traditions of the holiday of goodness and light
On January 7, Orthodox Christians will celebrate one of the most important and solemn holidays in the church calendar - Christmas.
history of the holidayAccording to Scripture Holy Virgin Mary gave birth to Jesus Christ in Bethlehem during the then census. The city was overflowing with people who arrived for the census, and no one had a place to sleep in their houses. Mary and Joseph settled down in the barn, where they spent the night with their pets. At the moment of birth, a star appeared in the sky, which showed the Magi the way to the baby. The wise men entered the barn and presented their gifts to the future Savior: gold, frankincense and myrrh (a special fragrant oil).
When is the holiday celebrated?
Orthodox Christians celebrate Christmas on January 7, unlike Catholics who celebrate it. This tradition arose in connection with the introduction of the Gregorian calendar in Europe in 1582. In Russia, only in the twentieth century began to use the European chronology. The Church did not accept new calendar and continues to count Christian holidays according to the Byzantine calendar partially reformed by Peter I.
What happens before Christmas?
Before the holiday, the Orthodox observe a 40-day fast, one of the longest in the church calendar.
On Christmas Eve (Christmas Eve), everyone gathers for festive table. It is customary to spend this quiet pre-Christmas evening with the closest people and wait for the first star to appear in the sky, which will herald the beginning of the holiday.
Photo: Sergey Bobylev/TASS
What to cook for Christmas?
Believers usually set a table of 12 courses. The main thing on the night of January 6-7 is sochivo - wheat grains with honey, nuts, raisins or dried fruits. After the first star appeared in the sky, the Orthodox should start the meal with it, and then move on to the main dishes.
Kissel is important and symbolic on the festive table. It is prepared exclusively from the most ripe and sweet fruits or berries. If desired, it can be supplemented with a broth - dried fruit compote. In addition, there must be a fish dish on the table - a symbol of Christianity and Christ.
The main rule that all Orthodox try to adhere to is that the Christmas table should be especially generous and rich. In addition to sochiv, jelly and fish, you can add aspic, goose with apples, chicken, young stuffed pig, pancakes and much more. It is customary to serve gingerbread, sweets, nuts and fruits for sweets.
How to receive guests?
At Christmas dinner, it is customary to invite and let everyone into the house who needs it. On this day, you need to please those who cannot afford a traditional holiday. There is a belief that the Lord himself can come to dinner in honor of the Nativity of Christ, but it is not known in what guise he will appear. It is possible that this will be a person in need, so wanderers must be received with great respect.
Photo: Pavel Smertin/TASS
What is a Christmas carol?
In some villages and villages in Russia, the tradition of caroling at Christmas is still widespread.
This custom has its roots in Christmas songs, which in the old days were called carols. Believers went from house to house and sang ritual songs - this is how they glorified the Nativity of Christ. Such songs can not only talk about Christmas, but also praise the Almighty, family, children, and yourself. human life. It is customary to treat carolers with gingerbread, sweets, fruits, and also give them a small amount of money.
Christmas - special holiday. And even people who have never crossed the threshold of the church are enthusiastically preparing for its celebration. And for true Christians, this is one of the most significant church holidays. According to tradition, the holiday is celebrated on a grand scale. But few people know why the Orthodox celebrate Christmas on January 7th. Since there are other dates for the holiday, and Christmas falls on different dates for Catholics and Orthodox.
Christmas in the Orthodox Church: reasons for the greatness of the holiday
The story of the miraculous birth of God's baby is well known to every believer.
The Holy Virgin Mary gave birth to him, without experiencing torment and fear. The event took place in Bethlehem. This city in the kingdom of Octavia, where at that time the census of the entire population took place, belonged to the family of David.
Therefore, all who belonged to this oldest family were forced to appear for the census. The Virgin Mary and her husband, the righteous Joseph, were no exception.
Despite the pregnancy of the wife, who conceived immaculately, the family came to Bethlehem in the evening.
But, unfortunately, there were no places in the hotel for the couple. And they had to seek refuge in the cold night in the caves. In the place that was intended for the cattle stall, many people have already found shelter.
But Mary and Joseph did not join them, but found a secluded corner for themselves. It was here that Mary began giving birth. The Virgin Mary gave birth to a beautiful baby who was destined to change the fate of millions of people. To warm the baby, a caring woman put him in a manger with sheep.
The shepherds were the first to know that the Savior had come into the world. They were informed about this by an angel descending to earth. The shepherds immediately went to bow to the baby.
But the rising Star of Bethlehem told the wise men of the East about the good news.
She showed the Magi the way to the cave, where they brought for the Savior a gift of gold and incense: frankincense and myrrh.
The news about the birth of the Savior was not joyful for everyone. It was predicted to King Herod that a boy who was born would bring him death. Therefore, he decided to find and kill the baby. Since he did not know the exact whereabouts of the boy, the king ordered that all male infants under the age of two be killed.
The Son of God managed to escape, but on the orders of Herod, 14,000 babies were killed.
They were martyred, not yet knowing that the sacrifice was made to the future Savior.
The Orthodox holiday of the Nativity of Christ has become for believers a reminder of the miraculous appearance of the Savior, of the beginning new era faith and hope.
Ask your acquaintances, friends, when the Orthodox celebrate Christmas, and you will hear the statement that January 7, and the answer will be, oddly enough, not entirely correct.
After all, there are Orthodox churches that celebrate Christmas on December 25th. And there are not few of them, but 10 of the 15 that exist today.
In addition, there are also catholic churches who celebrate Christmas together with Orthodox Christians on January 7th. Why is there such confusion with the day of the Catholic and Orthodox Christmas.
To understand, you have to look into history.
And here, oddly enough, there is no definite answer, since it has not been established real date birth of Christ.
Familiar to many, January 6 was long celebrated as the Day of Epiphany, since this event was considered more important in the life of Christians.
When the question arose about the birth of Christ, it was calculated based on the date of the news of the conception of God, which falls on March 25 according to the old style.
In addition, on December 25, many Western countries celebrated a pagan holiday dedicated to the god Saturn.
It was convenient for the Roman church to proclaim Christmas on this date. Such a substitution helped to eradicate pagan holidays, more familiar to people at that time.
The Church of Constantinople joined the celebration of Christmas in the century.
That's why long time Orthodox Christmas was celebrated on December 25th. And this state of affairs remained literally until the beginning of the 20th century.
In Russia, at that time, a decision was made to switch to the Gregorian calendar, according to which European countries have been living for more than one year. But the church does not support such a decision.
That's why church calendar Russian church is calculated according to the Julian calendar.
And the dates of the holidays have been preserved precisely in accordance with the old style.
According to the Gregorian calendar, the dates of the holidays have shifted by 13 days.
Therefore, it turns out that Christmas Orthodox calendar and today it is celebrated on December 25, but according to the Julian calendar, which corresponds to January 7 according to the calendar more familiar to the inhabitants.
These are parishioners of the Russian, Serbian, Georgian, Belarusian and Jerusalem Churches.
Since 2014, the Polish Orthodox Church has also joined them.
Together with them, Ukrainian Greek Catholics also celebrate Christmas, but against the backdrop of recent events, the question of postponing the date of Christmas celebrations has begun to be raised.
The date of the celebration of Orthodox Christmas also coincides with the day of the holiday for some Protestants who adhere to the Julian calendar. Christmas is celebrated on the same day Athos elders. So it is difficult to give an unambiguous answer on what date Orthodox Christmas is.
Orthodox Christmas: Celebration and Traditions of Orthodox Christmas
Christmas - Orthodox holiday, and believers especially sharply and deeply on this day experience a meeting with Christ. This is the moment when the awareness of the roots and traditions of the celebration takes place joyfully and colorfully. The holiday gives warmth and faith, kindles light in the souls of people.
Before the birth of Christ, people were far from God and there was simply no opportunity to meet the Creator.
Therefore, God was forced to overcome the line that separates mortal and sinful people from eternal and joyful life, which was manifested by the appearance of God in the form of a man. He sent his son to the people, who was supposed to tell people about the Kingdom of God and lead them to faith. It is this meeting that the Orthodox celebrate at Christmas.
Orthodox fasting precedes the holiday - before Christmas, Christians adhere to Filippov or. Lent begins on November 28 and lasts until Christmas. The forty-day fast ends on Christmas morning.
The celebration begins on Christmas Eve. Families sit down to dinner only after the appearance of the first star.
Before that, on January 6, it is not supposed to eat. There should be on the tables, each of which has its own meaning and importance. Sochivo is considered the main dish, hence the name Christmas Eve.
Christmas Eve begins Christmas time, which lasts another two weeks. Christmas time ends with another important holiday - Water Baptism, which is celebrated by the Orthodox on January 19 or January 13 according to the old style.
All night before Christmas there are festive services in churches. And on the morning of January 7, it is necessary to break the fast, as fasting ends.
Traditionally, rich tables are set for Christmas with, and,.
People congratulate relatives, relatives and just acquaintances on the holiday. Orthodox congratulations Merry Christmas and Happy New Year brings good thoughts and wishes of faith.
Churches and houses are necessarily decorated with coniferous branches and other Christmas paraphernalia. Be sure to put up a Christmas tree, which is supposed to be decorated with bright toys, tinsel, lights. This tradition is connected with the origin of the tree of paradise and the "paradise" apples on it.
The Christmas carols are especially interesting. Children and young people from the evening begin to go from house to house with good wishes.
In some villages, when the Orthodox celebrate Christmas, traditions of arranging nativity scenes have been preserved. Figures are attached to a wooden box. Nativity scene participants show with the help of these figures biblical story associated with the birth of Christ. They sing songs, read carols.
In gratitude, the owners thank them with sweets, sweets, sausage, money.
Be sure to give Orthodox gifts for Christmas. This tradition is associated with the wish of good, wealth, happiness to relatives, friends, dear people.
Gifts are placed under the Christmas tree or laid out in special boots and socks.
The holiday is always fun and joyful. With feasts, songs, dances, congratulations and gifts. Therefore, the Christmas holiday is very loved by both children and adults, and even those who Orthodox traditions is indifferent or skeptical.
Video: Orthodox stories for children
Watch the video cartoon about the Nativity of Christ
Catholics and Protestants living according to the Gregorian calendar, as well as local Orthodox churches of the world that adhere toNew Julian calendar, meet on the night of December 24-25, the feast of the Nativity of Christ.
Christmas is one of the most important Christian holidays, established in honor of the birth of the baby Jesus Christ in Bethlehem. Christmas is celebrated in many countries around the world, only the dates and calendar styles (Julian and Gregorian) differ.
The Roman Church established December 25 as a date for the celebration of the Nativity of Christ after the victory of Constantine the Great (c. 320 or 353). Already from the end of the IV century. the whole Christian world celebrated Christmas on this very day (with the exception of Eastern churches where this holiday was celebrated on January 6).
And in our time Orthodox Christmas"behind" the Catholic by 13 days; Catholics celebrate Christmas on December 25th, while Orthodox Christians celebrate Christmas on January 7th.
This happened due to a confusion of calendars. Julian calendar introduced in 46 BC emperor Julius Caesar, adding one more day in February, was much more convenient than the old Roman one, but still turned out to be not clear enough - the "extra" time continued to accumulate. For every 128 years, one unaccounted day ran. This led to the fact that in the 16th century one of the most important Christian holidays - Easter - began to "come" much earlier than the due date. Therefore, Pope Gregory XIII undertook another reform, replacing the Julian style with the Gregorian one. The purpose of the reform was to correct the growing difference between the astronomical year and the calendar year.
So in 1582 in Europe, a new Gregorian calendar appeared, while in Russia they continued to use the Julian.
In Russia, the Gregorian calendar was introduced in 1918 However, the church did not approve of this decision.
In 1923 On the initiative of the Patriarch of Constantinople, a meeting of the Orthodox Churches was held, at which a decision was made to correct the Julian calendar. The Russian Orthodox Church, due to historical circumstances, was unable to take part in it. Having learned about the conference in Constantinople, Patriarch Tikhon nevertheless issued a decree on the transition to the "New Julian" calendar. But this caused protests in the church people and the decision was canceled less than a month later.
Together with the Russian Orthodox Church, on the night of January 6-7, the feast of the Nativity of Christ is celebrated by the Georgian, Jerusalem and Serbian Orthodox Churches, Athos monasteries living according to the old, Julian calendar, as well as many Catholics of the Eastern rite (in particular, the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church) and part of Russian Protestants.
All the other 11 Local Orthodox Churches of the world celebrate Christmas, like Catholics, on the night of December 24-25, since they do not use the "Catholic" Gregorian calendar, but the so-called "New Julian", which so far coincides with the Gregorian. The discrepancy between these calendars in one day will accumulate by the year 2800 (the discrepancy between the Julian calendar and the astronomical year in one day accumulates over 128 years, the Gregorian - over 3 thousand 333 years, and the "New Julian" - over 40 thousand years).
The Orthodox are preparing for the onset of one of the main twelfth church holidays - the Nativity of Christ, which believers will celebrate on January 7, 2018, the Advent fast. FBA "Economy Today" talks about the traditions and customs of celebrating Christmas.
Birth of the Immaculate Virgin Mary Son God's Jesus Christ opened the possibility of soul salvation and eternal life for every believer. As a holiday, Christians began to celebrate Christmas from the 4th century, and earlier the birth of the Son of God was mentioned only on the day of Theophany. In the future, these holidays were divided. Christmas is the second most important Christian holiday after Easter. The celebration of Christmas continues until January 17 and this period of time is called Christmas time.
History of the Nativity
On the eve of the birth of her son, the Mother of God came to Bethlehem. Christ was born in a rock grotto where shepherds kept their cattle, sheltering them from the weather. The angels announced to the shepherds about the birth of the Savior. Those, in turn, came to the grotto to bow to the newborn. Little Christ lay in a manger (the so-called feeder for cattle). The Magi brought their gifts to the Son of God - incense, gold and myrrh, gifts that have a special symbolic meaning. So, gold is a symbol of the offering to the King, incense is a priestly symbol (Christ was the High Priest), and myrrh is the atoning sacrifice of Christ for all mankind.
Christmas Eve and Holy Evening
The final day of fasting - Christmas Eve - is considered the most severe. Those who fast do not eat until the stars begin to appear in the sky. The first flashing star is a sign that the Divine Infant has been born.
The evening before Christmas is called Holy. Since fast food can only be taken the next day, according to a tradition that has developed over the centuries, hostesses prepare twelve Lenten dishes for the Holy Evening. This number symbolizes the 12 months of the year, and the 12 apostles, and the 12 major feasts of the Church.
The main dish of the festive table this evening is kutya. This is the name of a dish of boiled grains seasoned with honey, poppy seeds, nuts and raisins. In Russia, a small patch of hay was always hidden under a plate with this dish, which was a reminder of the birthplace of Christ.
Lenten borscht, vegetable salads, pies, fish dishes and dumplings with lean stuffing were also on the table.
How to properly celebrate Christmas
Believers always look forward to the coming happy holiday Christmas. On the eve of Christmas, festive services take place in the temples. That night, no one went to bed, because it is believed that it is impossible to oversleep such a great event as the birth of the Son of God. The Church reminds that the Lord thanks a person for even the smallest effort that he makes for him. And even nature responds to this event - and the stars shine brighter, and the morning sun plays with different colors of the rainbow.
After finishing holiday service the faithful sat down at the laid tables and began to break their fast. For the great holiday, various meat and fish snacks were prepared, aspic and goose were put on the table, which was baked with apples. Pickled cucumbers and tomatoes, herbs, fried potatoes were served as a side dish.
The traditional symbol of the holiday is a Christmas tree decorated with toys and candles (the latter are a reminder of the unearthly light emanating from the cave where Jesus was born), the top of which is crowned with a star. Under the tree they put gifts for all family members. In addition, a crib is built in houses and temples - a cave in which Christ was born.
Another tradition that came from past centuries and is associated with Christmas is caroling. The essence of the ceremony lies in the fact that children and adults, having changed clothes, go from house to house and sing carols with which they glorify the born Christ.
Housewives for Christmas, in addition to pies and gingerbread, baked carols - this was the name of small-shaped products made from rye unleavened dough with fillings. It was carols that were treated to those who came and sang songs about the Nativity of Christ. Carol performers were presented with sweets, fruits and even money. Today, this tradition has remained only in the villages and villages of Russia.
Short SMS Merry Christmas
On the Internet, you can find many options for congratulations on Christmas. Here are just a few examples of short congratulations in verse.
Christmas is a special day, believe me.
On this day, Christ appeared into the world.
And with love in divine light
He brought us hope and joy.
Raise your hands to the sky
And open to the miracle of the heart.
Let go of all your grudges
Radiating love without end!
We wish you Christmas
Smiles, sincere laughter,
Good health, success
And a lot of good things.
Let the blood play in the heart
And the joy lasts forever.
And may they be with you forever
Hope, faith and love!
Merry Christmas congratulations!
I wish you light in my soul and love.
Let a good heart beat in your chest
And there is a faithful companion in life.
Let there be a strong spirit, a happy life
Good luck will fly into your house like a bird,
And happiness will gladly come to the light
They won't stay with you for one day.
FROM The last evening comes to us, a miracle, Christmas!
Let there be joy and light in your house!
On this day, Christ was born, the world brought us everything,
He only did good to people, his path is not easy.
We sincerely wish happiness to you and all relatives,
On this day, we only want to see your smiles.
Together with the stars, the Holy Spirit will come to earth,
And in the hearts of love a beautiful light will light.
Christmas angels
The news has been spread around the world!
People will be happy, period
On the territory and all over the world!
Beautiful day, beautiful moment
And we see the radiant face!
Today is Christmas
And we are ready to spread the message
And with it, together with good, happiness!
Let everyone leave you to attack!
Christmas is the most beloved holiday, covered with light and joy. It contains so much warmth, kindness and love that you want to give away these feelings along with gifts to friends and relatives. But sometimes it happens that they celebrate this event on a completely different day. How is this possible? When should Christmas be celebrated, and what are the differences? Let's try to figure it out.
history of the holiday
The gospel says: Jesus was born in Bethlehem, where His mother Mary and Joseph the Betrothed went to take part in the announced census. Due to the influx of visitors, all the hotels were occupied, so they had to settle in a cave that served as a barn for cattle. It was there that the Son of God was born. An angel brought the news of His birth to the shepherds, who hurried to bow to Him. Another banner of the appearance of the Messiah was the delightful one, which lit up in the sky and showed the way to the Magi. They brought gifts to the Child - frankincense, myrrh and gold - and honored Him as the King of the Jews.
First celebration
Surprisingly, there is no exact evidence anywhere about when Christmas came according to the calendar, that is, the exact date is not indicated. For this reason, the early Christians did not celebrate this holiday at all. The appearance of the date itself - from January 6 to 7 - was facilitated by the Copts, Egyptian Christians, their faith in God, who is born, dies and rises, has existed since ancient times. It was from them, from Alexandria, the center of knowledge and science, that the tradition of celebrating this event these days spread to the entire Christian world, and initially all the followers of Jesus celebrated the Nativity of Christ and Theophany at the same time. But in the IV century, the Roman Empire postponed the celebrations on the occasion of the birth of the Messiah to December 25th. Not everyone followed this example, for example, it remains true ancient tradition celebrate two holidays at the same time.
Calendar ups and downs
Further events developed in such a way that in the 16th century Gregory VIII, who at that time was on the papal throne, introduced his own chronology, which was called the "new style". Before that, the one introduced by Julius Caesar was in use, the definition of "old style" was assigned to it. Now the difference between them is 13 days.
Europe, following its spiritual shepherd, switched to a new calendar, and Russia did this only after the victory of the revolution in 1917. But the church did not approve of such an innovation and remained at its chronology.
There was one more interesting event: in 1923 at the Cathedral Orthodox churches At the initiative of the Patriarch of Constantinople, corrections were made to the Julian calendar: a "New Julian" calendar arose, which so far completely coincides with the Gregorian. Representatives of Russia were not present at the meeting due to the political situation, the attempts of the then Patriarch Tikhon to bring the decision of the majority were unsuccessful, therefore the Julian chronology is still in force here.
When do different groups of Christians celebrate Christmas?
The result of the spread of various systems of chronology was confusion with dates. As a result, Vatican adherents and Protestants celebrate when December 24th turns into December 25th. Together with them, these dates are honored by 11 local Orthodox churches, but they check with their own, New Julian, calendar.
From January 6 to 7, Christmas comes for the Russian, Georgian, Ukrainian, Jerusalem, Serbian Orthodox churches, Athos monasteries, recognizing only the old style, many Catholics of the Eastern rite and part of Russian Protestants.
It turns out that everyone celebrates the birth of the Son of God on December 25, but everyone does it according to their own calendar.
Christmas Eve: Orthodox Traditions
January 6 is a special day, Christmas Eve. It is customary to call it Christmas Eve. In the evening of this day, the Christmas vigil begins, lasting about three hours. Usually the whole family gathers in church. It is after the end of the service that the moment comes when it officially begins. Believers congratulate each other and rush home to the festive table.
Traditionally, it was not customary to eat on Christmas Eve until the first star or church service appeared. But even after that, albeit festive, but lenten dishes were put on the table. Among other edible assortment, a special place was occupied by sochivo, or kutya - porridge made from wheat or rice with honey, nuts and poppy seeds. It was prepared only on this Christmas night.
On Christmas Eve, they decorated the house, decorated the Christmas tree and laid out gifts under it, which could only be touched after the festive dinner. Then the family gathered at the green beauty, and one of the children distributed the souvenirs intended for them to everyone. The person who received the gift unwrapped it and showed it to everyone, thanking them.
It was customary to dedicate the evening to relatives, family, but it was possible to invite lonely people to celebrate the holiday together and share a meal.
Popular beliefs
Christmas Eve evening was considered a favorable time for all sorts of forecasts for the future. Before dinner, it was customary to go outside and "watch the stars", which, thanks to various signs, could tell about the upcoming harvest, and therefore about the well-being of the family. So, the blizzard foreshadowed that the bees would swarm well. A starry night promised a good offspring of livestock and an abundance of wild berries. Frost on the trees was a harbinger of a successful grain harvest.
Before the meal, the host had to go around the house with a pot of kutya three times and then throw a few spoons of porridge over the threshold - a treat for the spirits. To appease the "frost", doors were opened for him and invited to the table.
They did not eat the kutia to the end, they left spoons in it, which was a symbolic tribute to the poor.
First day of the holiday
On January 7, Christmas began to be celebrated with all the breadth of the soul. After the morning Liturgy, the Orthodox went to visit each other. The festive fast food table was bursting with pickles, it was not cleaned, because the acquaintances who came to congratulate the hosts were constantly replaced. It was considered a good tradition to visit all relatives, especially those who are old and lonely.
Catholic customs
According to Western Christians, no one should be left without a gift on Christmas Eve. The main donor was Saint Nicholas (Santa Claus). He distributed gifts in a very remarkable way: he laid them out in socks and hung them over the fireplace, and then he himself disappeared into the chimney.
The custom of caroling has been preserved, when children and youth went from house to house with songs. At the same time, the participants of the action dressed up in various costumes and masks. Thanks for the congratulations and good wishes adults gave them sweets.
Another attribute of the holiday - "Christmas bread" - these are special unleavened wafers, illuminated during Advent. They were eaten when Christmas was celebrated at the festive table or during congratulations to each other.
Not only spruce, but also other tree species could act as a festive decoration. In addition, the house was decorated with special wreaths of twigs and flowers, which were a symbol of the Sun.
Christmas is a wonderful holiday, warmed by the warmth of loved ones and the love of God, which allowed this miracle to happen. Maybe that's why you so want to deliver something pleasant to those who are nearby. After all, it is not so important when Christmas comes for certain people, the main thing is that it comes and renews the human soul.
