That’s right, January 7th is Orthodox Christmas, a national holiday in Russia so banks and public offices are closed on January 7. Since my real job is with a company with offices in Moscow, I may just take the day off!
People in Russia celebrate Christmas Day with activities such as having a family dinner, attending a Christmas liturgy and visiting relatives and friends. There is a 40-day Lent preceding Christmas Day, when practicing Christians do not eat any meat. The Lent period ends with the first star in the night sky on January 6 – a symbol of Jesus Christ’s birth. Many Orthodox Christians go to the church to attend a Christmas liturgy that evening.
The first star also signals the start of the Christmas dinner. For many secular Russians, Christmas Day is a family holiday but it is not as important, for many families, as New Year’s Day. Many people visit friends and relatives, as well as give and receive presents, on January 7. Prior to Christmas Day, there is Christmas Eve, which marks the start of an old Slavic holiday, Svyatki, in which young women used a mirror and candles to invoke the image of their future husbands. Like going to church, fortune-telling on Christmas Eve is again becoming popular in Russia. (Source: TiemandDate.com: Read More Here) Image credit: gubh83 / 123RF Stock Photo
From the Archives — originally published on the Opelika Daily News on January 7, 2014. View the original page.
