When Is Orthodox Christmas?
(And Why It's Different)

Every January, a second Christmas quietly arrives. While most of the world has already packed away the trees and lights, millions of Orthodox Christians are just sitting down to their Christmas Eve feast. It leads to an understandable question for anyone outside Eastern Christian traditions: why do Orthodox Christians celebrate Christmas on a different day — and is it really always January 7?

The answer is more interesting than most simple explanations let on. The short version: many Orthodox Christians aren't celebrating on "January 7" at all — they are celebrating on December 25, just on a different calendar. Below is the full, accurate story of when Orthodox Christmas is and why it lands where it does.

For a broader view of how these calendar debates fit into the overall evolution of the holiday, you can read our complete guide on the history of Christmas or discover how the pre-Christmas season is observed in our guide on what Advent is.

When Is Orthodox Christmas 2027?

For most Orthodox Christians who follow the traditional Julian calendar, Orthodox Christmas 2027 is on Thursday, January 7, 2027. This includes the Russian, Serbian, Georgian, Coptic (Egyptian), and Ethiopian Orthodox churches, among others.

But — and this is the vital nuance most holiday sites skip — not all Orthodox Christians celebrate on January 7. Millions of Orthodox Christians celebrate on December 25, the exact same day as Western Christians. The date depends entirely on which calendar their specific patriarchate follows.

✨ Orthodox Christmas Dates at a Glance:

• Old Julian Calendar Churches: January 7 (Russia, Serbia, Georgia, Egypt, Ethiopia, Jerusalem, Mount Athos)
• Revised Julian Calendar Churches: December 25 (Greece, Cyprus, Romania, Bulgaria, and others)
• Armenian Apostolic Church: January 6

Why Is Orthodox Christmas on January 7?

Here is the key idea most people miss: Orthodox Christians on the traditional calendar aren't choosing to celebrate on January 7. They are celebrating on December 25 — it just falls on January 7 on our modern calendar.

These churches never changed the date of Christmas. It has always been December 25 for them. What changed is the calendar the rest of the world uses to measure time.

The ancient Julian calendar (the old system) has slowly drifted out of alignment with the astronomical solar year. Today, it runs 13 days behind the Gregorian calendar (our modern system). So when an Orthodox church on the Julian calendar observes "December 25," that day lands on January 7 by our modern calendar reckoning.

It's not a different Christmas. It's the exact same holiday, measured by a different clock.

Not All Orthodox Christians Celebrate on January 7

Claiming "Orthodox Christians celebrate on January 7" is only half true. Following a 1923 pan-Orthodox conference in Constantinople, several Eastern Orthodox churches adopted the Revised Julian calendar, aligning their fixed feast dates (including Christmas) with the Gregorian calendar.

This means a Greek Orthodox family and a Russian Orthodox family — both in full Eastern Orthodox communion — celebrate Christmas nearly two weeks apart.

Julian vs. Gregorian — A Simple Explanation

The two Christmas dates exist because the world switched calendars, and not everyone switched at the same time:

• 🏛️ 46 BC (Julius Caesar):Caesar introduces the Julian calendar. It is remarkably accurate for its time, but miscalculates the solar year by about 11 minutes per year. Over centuries, those extra minutes add up.
• 📜 1582 (Pope Gregory XIII):By the 16th century, the calendar has drifted 10 full days off from the solar seasons. Pope Gregory XIII issues the Gregorian reform, dropping 10 days to realign with the spring equinox.
• ⚔️ The Religious Split:Because a Catholic Pope introduced the reform, Protestant and Eastern Orthodox nations initially rejected it. Protestants adopted it by the 1700s, but Eastern Orthodox churches largely maintained the traditional Julian calendar.
• ⏳ Today's 13-Day Gap:The gap has now widened to 13 days. December 25 on the Julian calendar currently matches January 7 on our modern calendar.

Will Orthodox Christmas Always Be on January 7?

No — starting in the year 2101, Orthodox Christmas on the old Julian calendar will shift to January 8.

Because the Julian calendar miscalculates leap years, it drifts by approximately one full day every 128 years relative to the Gregorian calendar. Century years like 1900 and 2100 are leap years in the Julian system but non-leap years in the Gregorian system.

After February 28, 2100, the gap between the two calendars will grow from 13 days to 14 days. Consequently, starting on December 25, 2100 (Julian), the equivalent Gregorian date will be January 8, 2101.

The Armenian Church Celebrates on January 6

The Armenian Apostolic Church celebrates Christmas on January 6 — a date distinct from both December 25 and January 7.

This date stems from an ancient 3rd-century Christian tradition. Before the 4th century, the entire Christian world celebrated the birth of Jesus (Nativity) and his baptism (Epiphany) together as a single combined feast on January 6.

When Rome split the celebrations in the 4th century (moving the Nativity to December 25), the Armenian Church, geographically and politically outside the Roman Empire, maintained the original combined celebration on January 6.

How Orthodox Christmas Is Celebrated

Orthodox Christmas focuses heavily on spiritual devotion, fasting, and sacred fellowship:

Is Orthodox Christmas a Public Holiday?

Orthodox Christmas (January 7) is not a public holiday in the United States, the UK, or Canada — businesses, government offices, and schools remain open as normal.

However, January 7 is an official national public holiday in numerous countries with large Orthodox Christian populations, including:

• 🇷🇺 Russia
• 🇷🇸 Serbia
• 🇧🇾 Belarus
• 🇬🇪 Georgia
• 🇪🇬 Egypt (Coptic)
• 🇪🇹 Ethiopia
• 🇲🇩 Moldova
• 🇲🇪 Montenegro
• 🇲🇰 North Macedonia

Frequently Asked Questions