Why does russia celebrate christmas on january 7th

Christmas in Russia is most widely celebrated on Jan. 7 because the Russian Orthodox Church adheres to the Julian calendar, which is 13 days behind the Gregorian calendar.

Preceding the Russian Orthodox Christmas, New Year's Day is on Jan. 1 and is often considered the more important holiday.

Russian orthodox christmas traditions

It is also not uncommon for Russians to observe two Christmases and even two New Year's celebrations; the first Christmas is observed on Dec. 25, and the second New Year's is observed on Jan. 14. Any public trees—like the Christmas tree in Moscow's Red Square—serve as a symbol of the New Year.

Russian Christmas Religious Observances

During much of the 20^th century as a Communist, atheist country, Russia was banned from publicly celebrating Christmas. Because so many Russians identified as atheists, the religious observance of Christmas faded out of fashion.

However, since the Soviet Union fell in 1991, Russians are increasingly returning to religion, primarily Russian Orthodoxy. The number of people celebrating Christmas as a religio

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