Christmas is one of the most beloved Christian holidays. This is a holiday of childhood, mysterious, joyful, homely, cozy. In our country, Christmas itself is associated with the New Year, that is, with something new, unknown and beautiful. And this is not accidental, because it was the Baby born in Bethlehem who gave people new hope, a new opportunity and a new life.

The advent of the holiday

Initially, in Christian churches, Christmas was not celebrated separately, since it was very difficult to calculate the exact date of the birth of Jesus Christ. Christmas was celebrated on the same day as the baptism of the Lord, which is celebrated in churches on January 19, and according to the old style - on January 6.

For the first time, the feast of the Nativity of Christ was separated from Baptism in the Roman Church in the first half of the 4th century, according to legend, under Pope Julius. In one Roman calendar, compiled no later than 354, December 25 is already shown as the "Birthday of Christ in Bethlehem." Why was this day chosen? The pagan Roman cult celebrated the winter solstice with particular solemnity, but not on the day when it took place (December 8-9), but on those days when it became tangible for everyone, precisely at the end of December. In the Roman calendar of the 4th century, this pagan holiday falls on December 25th. In order to distract Christians from it, in Rome, on January 6, the memory of the Nativity of Christ, the birth of the spiritual eternal Sun, was moved to this day.

Recall that in the church tradition, Jesus Christ is called the Sun of Truth, since He brought to earth the light of the true knowledge of God. Naturally, this was done after Emperor Constantine declared Christianity the state religion. This fact does not at all detract from the significance of this holiday, because, as we have already said, the symbol of the birth of the Savior Jesus has always been celebrated by the Church. The apostle Paul wrote in 1 Timothy 3:16: “And unquestioningly — a great piety mystery: God appeared in the flesh, justified Himself in the Spirit, showed Himself to the angels, was preached among the nations, accepted by faith in the world, ascended in glory”. God appeared in the flesh! This is the meaning of Christmas!

The example of the Roman Church was followed by the churches of the Christian East. The ancient church did not know exactly not only the day, but also the month of Christ's birth. According to Clement of Alexandria (III century), some believed that this event happened on May 20, others on January 6 or 10. According to the third testimonies of the II-III centuries, the Nativity of Christ is dated for March 25 or 28. But already in the 4th century, the Church came to a unanimous decision on this issue precisely in favor of December 25 on the basis of approximately the following considerations. The month and day of Christ's death is precisely known from the gospels. And in the Church, the belief has long been widespread that Christ had to be on earth for the full number of years as a perfect number. From this it followed that Christ was conceived on the same day on which he suffered, that is, on the Jewish Passover, which in that year fell on March 25th. Counting 9 months from this date, we received the date for the Nativity of Christ - December 25th. This date is already accepted by St. Hippolytus (III century), it is defended by St. Chrysostom and Blessed Augustine.

Early traditions in Russia

In Russia, Christmas began to be celebrated in the 10th century. It has long been a quiet and peaceful holiday. Christmas Eve - Christmas Eve - was celebrated modestly both in the palaces of Russian emperors and in the huts of peasants. But the next day, fun and revelry began - Christmas time. They went from house to house with songs, arranged round dances and dances, dressed up as bears, pigs and various evil spirits, frightened children, girls and guessed. And of course, they paid tribute to the "green serpent". For greater persuasiveness, scary masks were made from various materials. By the way, from the 16th century, the Christmas masks began to be officially called mugs and mugs. In the villages, Christmas time was celebrated by the whole world, moving from hut to hut. But even in the cities, Christmas festivities were famous for their scope. Ordinary people had fun in the squares, where booths, carousels, markets, tea and vodka tents were set up. Richer people stayed up late in restaurants and taverns. The merchants rode in troikas. Noble nobles arranged balls.

If until the 18th century Christmas was predominantly a church and family holiday, then under Peter I it became more secular. The end of December - the beginning of January turned in St. Petersburg into a continuous series of festivities, balls, masquerades. Peter adopted the celebration of Christmas from Europe. The custom of setting up a Christmas tree on New Year's Eve was introduced by the same Peter I, but only from the 1830s did a decorated Christmas tree become an indispensable attribute of both Russian Christmas and the New Year.

Most countries in Europe and the United States celebrate Christmas according to the Gregorian calendar - December 25, and Russia - according to the Julian calendar - January 7. The Russian Orthodox Church explains the reluctance to switch to a new style by the fact that in this case the structure of the church year will be violated.

The return of the gospel meaning

With the arrival of the gospel message in our country and the beginning of the revival, born-again Christians began to rethink the holiday of Christmas. It should be noted the features and the beginning of the evangelical awakening in various regions of the Russian Empire. In the Caucasus and in the Taurida province, the awakening began with a sermon among the Molokans. The Molokans, along with the Orthodox rites, rejected all other biblical holidays, believing that in the first place is the spiritual fulfillment of the commandments, which should be expressed in a pious life. Accordingly, they did not celebrate any holidays. The tradition of celebrating Christmas came to this region after various evangelical streams in Russia merged into one mighty river, which later became a powerful evangelical-Baptist movement.

In southern Ukraine, the evangelical revival was influenced by the German colonists, who organized circles for the study of the Holy Scriptures and were called Stundist, from the German word "stunde" - hour, or time, for the Bible. These circles were founded in connection with the beginning of a great spiritual awakening among the descendants of German settlers. At the end of the 18th century, Catherine II signed a manifesto, according to which Germans could move from Europe to southern Russia to develop desert lands. No one settled on these fertile lands for several centuries due to the fact that they were constantly subjected to raids by the Turks and Crimean Tatars, but Catherine liberated the Crimea from Turkish rule, and a stream of immigrants from Europe poured into these lands. The Napoleonic wars were raging in Europe at that time, and respectable Christians were very uncomfortable there. The invitation to move to Russia was used by Christian dissidents of that time: Lutherans, Mennonites. Pietistic sentiments roamed among them, based on personal piety. It was from them that the Ukrainian Stundists, who later became Evangelical Baptist Christians, adopted the good tradition of celebrating the Nativity of Christ in a cozy home environment with an obligatory festive table, a Christmas gift, divine service, kneeling prayers on Christmas night. It is from there that the wonderful Christmas carols, so beloved in our brotherhood, will go. It is a good custom to proclaim the Savior Christ to all neighbors and acquaintances on Christmas days, to invite guests to your house and put on the table the best edibles specially preserved until this day. Until now, the Ukrainian brotherhood has preserved the custom: on Christmas night it is obligatory to shelter and warm the needy, the widow, the orphan and to show good deeds of mercy.

Christmas before the revolution

Special mention should be made of St. Petersburg. The gospel revival came there a few years later than in the Caucasus and southern Russia. This event is connected with the sermon of Lord Redstock in high-society Petersburg salons. The highest nobility of Russia became listeners of the Gospel. These people, who had wealth, power, education, bowed their knees before Christ and began to live a completely new life. Their Christianity from the beginning was active and practical. They opened their homes to all walks of life. The count was sitting next to the cab driver, the princess next to the poor student. From the very beginning, service to the destitute and sick, those who were rejected by society, began to develop. Now we call this service social. Petersburg believers showed concern for prisoners, children, widows, single mothers, and students. At Christmas, holidays were organized for children from such segments of the population.

Princess Natalya Feodorovna Lieven, wife of the master of ceremonies at the court of Alexander II, her sister, Princess Vera Feodorovna Gagarina, and their cousin Elizaveta Ivanovna Chertkova, widow of Adjutant General Chertkov, daughter of Count Chernyshov-Krutikov, hero of the war of 1812, began to actively participate in this ministry by providing funds and opening their homes to organize such celebrations. They gathered children, taught them Christmas songs, gave them gifts, showed concern for their existence.

Then many of these children will become active ministers of evangelical churches. With the expulsion from Russia in 1884 of the leaders of the St. Petersburg evangelical awakening, V. A. Pashkov and M. Korf, these Christmas holidays will not stop. They will continue to be organized by the St. Petersburg community, whose pastor will be Ivan Veniaminovich Kargel. Ivan Stepanovich Prokhanov will also join this community, who will become one of the leaders of the youth evangelical movement, and later the organizer of the Union of Evangelical Christians. Evangelical Christian youth circles will continue the wonderful tradition of organizing special Christmas parties. During the Christmas holidays, a variety of evangelizations were held. After 1917, the feast of the Nativity firmly entered the life of the local churches. Moreover, all-Russian congresses of Evangelical Christian Baptists met several times on Christmas Day. During Christmas, the Lord's Supper was served at these conventions, and then the delegates went out into the street and invited everyone to solemn Christmas worship meetings, where people could hear the Good News of the birth of Jesus Christ. This happened in addition to the business meetings of congresses.

In 1929, a new religious legislation was adopted in the Soviet Union, according to which the life of the local church was sharply limited. This was due to the fact that the communist government planned to permanently do away with religion in the country and eradicate all faith in God from the hearts. Therefore, the very concept of Christmas was vigorously eradicated, a wide celebration of the New Year was planted. The mention of Christmas could only be found in literature written by Russian classics before 1930. True, there were rare exceptions. The life of the local evangelical churches was limited by a rigid framework of divine services, which were clearly regulated. All kinds of children's, youth, social service were forbidden. Nevertheless, Christians still tried to celebrate Christmas in a special way. Yes, during the war, this was mostly illegal, with the exception of a few open houses of prayer. And after the war, when there were already more prayer houses, a solemn Christmas meeting was held. For example, during the celebration of Christmas in January 1959 in the Leningrad church, the leading brother M. A. Orlov opened the meeting with a short prayer. “Quiet night, marvelous night,” is the general singing of this wonderful Christmas carol! Continuing to paint a picture of this solemn night, the choir performs "Shepherds dozed in the fields." Brother Orlov read about the birth of Christ from the Gospel of Luke 2:1-7 and noted the difference in the census at that time (by place of birth) and now (by place of residence). “The Lord was pleased,” said the brother, “that our Savior was born into the world not in magnificent mansions, but in a poor manger, on straw.” All those present in prayer glorified God for the greatest gift to people - the born Infant Christ, after which a solemn hymn was sung both in chorus and general singing: “Glory to God in the highest ...” Then from the pulpit they uttered a word about the Savior as a sacrifice for salvation people based on the words of Christ recorded in Hebrews 10:5-7: “Sacrifices and offerings You did not want ... here I come ... to do Your will, O God”; about the great significance of the Christmas star, which helped the Magi find the Divine Infant and worship Him. “The Magi brought gifts to Christ,” said brother G. Yakovlev, “but with what heart did we stand before the Lord, what gifts did we bring to Him?” Brother Orlov, in his concluding speech, noted the amazing obedience of the shepherds, who, having heeded the words of the angel, immediately went to Bethlehem to worship Christ. How necessary is this complete obedience to God for all believers! In the final prayer, all those present offered their warm gratitude to God for the birth into the world of the Savior of people! With the singing of the joyful song “The Eternal God Has Given Us a Baby,” the meeting ended. This was a typical Christmas meeting at the time, but it couldn't have been more.

At the end of the 1950s, the atheistic machine began to attack the Church again. But the gates of hell once again failed to overcome her, and the Church lived and celebrated Christmas. Believers tried to invite each other to visit, to make each other at least small modest Christmas gifts. Christmas brought special joy to children. Believing parents sought to remember this day as a holiday. Many Baptist Christians recall that at Christmas, parents gave their children some special surprise. Well, in the evening the family gathered around the Word of God. Since there were few copies of the Bible, people tried to come to the house where it was in order to hear the amazing news of the birth of the Baby that night. They read miraculously preserved old Christian magazines published in the country before 1929. Later, when receivers came along, they listened to Western Christian Christmas programs, breaking through the static of the air.

Today we also celebrate Christmas. Let this be a bright holiday, which will be marked by our charity, sacrifice, love for perishing people, as has become a tradition in the Baptist movement.

In contact with

Nativity

The holiday of the bright day of the Nativity of Christ returned to Russia and since 1991 has become a "real" holiday - by the Decree of the Supreme Council of the RSFSR, the day of January 7 is declared a day off. The holiday itself is surprisingly "childish", perhaps even the most "childish" of all Orthodox holidays. See how children perceive Christmas! And all of us on this day and on the eve of it are a little children. It is clear that the long persecution of Christianity in the USSR led to the oblivion of many traditions and ritual ceremonies...

Why is Christmas celebrated on January 7th in Orthodoxy? How do people celebrate Christmas in Russia? Divine Liturgy at Christmas. Food for Christmas.

Our city sweeps with powder,

Christmas is coming again...

We wish you only the best,

What you can wish your friends.

History of Christmas

The Nativity of Christ is one of the great holidays of Christianity and belongs to the twelve great twelfth holidays. In the Eastern Church, the feast of the Nativity of Christ is considered the second feast after Easter. And in the Western church, in some denominations, this holiday is revered even higher than Easter. This is because the Nativity of Christ symbolizes the possibility of salvation that opens up for people with the coming into the world of Jesus Christ. In Eastern countries, Easter symbolizes the spiritual resurrection of a person, which is honored more than the Nativity of Christ.

The rules for celebrating the Nativity of Christ were finally formed in the 4th century. So, for example, if the eve of a holiday falls on a Sunday, the first rule of Theophylact of Alexandria is used to celebrate this holiday. On the eve of the holiday, instead of the usual hours, the so-called Royal Hours are read, various Old Testament prophecies and events related to the Nativity of Christ are recalled. In the afternoon, the liturgy of Basil the Great takes place, in the case when the eve does not take place on Saturday or Sunday, when the liturgy of St. John Chrysostom is served, at the usual time. The All-Night Vigil begins with Great Compline, at which spiritual joy over the Nativity of Christ is expressed with the prophetic song "For God is with us."

However, the beautiful and solemn holiday of the Nativity of Christ is not celebrated in different countries in the same way, but bears the imprint of the customs and traditions of a certain people. So, for example, in Catholicism, the Nativity of Christ is celebrated magnificently and solemnly with three services: at midnight, at dawn and in the afternoon. Such a construction of the holiday symbolizes the birth of Jesus Christ in the bosom of the Father, in the womb of the Mother of God and in the soul of a believer. Since the time of Francis of Assisi, a manger with a figurine of the Infant Christ has been installed in Catholic churches so that believers can worship the image of the newborn Jesus Christ. A nativity scene is being built (that is, the cave where Jesus Christ was born) with figures of the Holy Family and in Orthodox churches.

Both in Catholicism and in Orthodoxy, during the Christmas sermon, the idea is especially emphasized that with the birth of Jesus Christ (which symbolizes the coming of the Messiah into the world), the opportunity opens up for every believer to achieve the salvation of the soul and, through the fulfillment of the teachings of Christ, receive eternal life and heavenly bliss. Among the people, the holiday of the Nativity of Christ was accompanied by folk festivals, songs and games, gatherings and caroling, Christmas fun.

Christmas in Russia

Christmas - "the second Easter"; a great holiday, a holy day, honored more than all other days of the year - after the day of the Bright Resurrection of Christ.

The night sky over Bethlehem is twinkling with stars... And we, together with the shepherds, hear angelic singing, see the angel-bringer and rejoice at the birth of the miraculous Adolescence. But our joy is not violent, like the rejoicing of the pagans. She is quiet, Christian. We know that suffering and death await this Child. He, innocent, will be unjustly condemned, and those for whose sake He came into the world will shout to Pilate: "Crucify! Crucify Him!" Therefore, the joy of the coming of God is colored with sadness. But we also know that He came for the Resurrection, in order to deliver us from death and defeat evil. And again, peace of mind.

For Orthodox Christians in Russia, Georgia, the Holy Land, as well as for some other churches of the Eastern rite, the day traditionally considered the birthday of Jesus will come later.

The temporary discrepancy between the celebration of Christmas by various churches is due to the fact that most countries in Europe and the USA celebrate Christmas according to the Gregorian calendar - December 25, and Russia - according to the Julian calendar, on January 7 (i.e. December 25 according to the Gregorian calendar coincides with January 7 according to the old style).

In the Julian calendar, the average duration of the year in the interval of 4 years was 365.25 days, which is 11 min 14 s longer than the tropical year. The length of the year in the Gregorian calendar is on average 365.2425 days, which is only 26 seconds longer than the tropical year.

The difference between the old and new styles in 1582 (the year it was introduced in Europe by Pope Gregory) was 10 days, in the 18th century - 11 days, in the 19th century - 12 days, and in 20 respectively - 13 days.

In our country, the Gregorian calendar was introduced in 1918, but the Russian Orthodox Church continues to use the Julian calendar to this day, explaining the reluctance to switch to a new style by the fact that then the structure of the church year will be violated.

How did Russia celebrate Christmas?

And Christmas is like a magician, a wizard,

Like a precious talisman.

Health, vivacity and fun,

And let happiness give you.

In Russia, Christmas began to be celebrated in the 10th century. It has long been a quiet and peaceful holiday. Christmas Eve - Christmas Eve - was celebrated modestly both in the palaces of Russian emperors and in the huts of peasants. But the next day, fun and revelry began - Christmas time.

They went from house to house with songs, arranged round dances and dances, dressed up as bears, pigs and various evil spirits, frightened children and girls, guessed. For greater persuasiveness, scary masks were made from various materials. By the way, from the 16th century, the Christmas masks began to be officially called mugs and mugs.

Ordinary people had fun in the squares, where booths, carousels, markets, tea and vodka tents were set up. Richer people stayed up late in restaurants and taverns. The merchants rode in troikas. Noble nobles arranged balls. In the villages, Christmas time was celebrated by the whole world, moving from hut to hut. Muscovites at Christmas went for a walk in Petrovsky Park. Marina Grove, Ostankino, Sokolniki.

Noisily celebrated Christmas and Russian sovereigns

Peter the Great used to make fun of Christmas games. In the royal chambers, everyone dressed up, sang songs, guessed. The sovereign himself with a large retinue traveled around the houses of noble nobles and boyars. At the same time, everyone had to zealously have fun - whoever had a "sour face" was beaten by batogs.

Elizaveta Petrovna celebrated Christmas time according to old Russian customs. The courtiers were supposed to appear at the court in costume, but without masks. The empress herself dressed up, and the empress was very fond of singing Christmas songs with the girls.

Catherine the Great respected folk fun and entertainment and often took part in them. In the Hermitage they played blind man's buff, forfeits, cat and mouse, sang songs, and the Empress famously danced with the peasants.

Divine Liturgy at Christmas

In the 5th century, Anatoly, Patriarch of Constantinople, and in the 7th century, Soffoniy and Andrew of Jerusalem, in the 8th century, John of Damascus, Kozma Mayumsky, and Herman, Patriarch of Constantinople for the feast of the Nativity of Christ wrote church hymns, which are used by the current church. And also performed the Christmas kontakion "Virgin today ...", written by St. Roman the Melodist.

Christ is born - praise!

Christ from heaven - hide!

Christ on earth - ascend,

Sing to the Lord all the earth,

And sing with joy, people,

Like become famous!

The service of the Divine Liturgy is performed in the church. In the middle of the temple, where a festive icon is usually exhibited, there is a cave made of spruce twigs, strewn with stars. Little brothers, witnesses of Christmas are not forgotten: a cow and a calf. They also participate in the celebration. Maybe in order to better approach the great mystery? And for this, according to Christ, one must become like children.

The holiday itself is surprisingly "childish", perhaps even the most "childish" of all Orthodox holidays. See how children perceive Christmas! And all of us on this day and on the eve of it are a little children. Together we decorate the Christmas tree - and how much joy everyone has!

In order to adequately prepare for the feast of the Nativity of Christ, the Church has set a time for preparation - the Nativity Fast. During the entire fast, one should refrain from entertainment, wasting time on pleasures, from idleness - after all, the real holiday is ahead.

An increasing place in daily worship is occupied by hymns telling about Christmas events, fasting is becoming more and more strict. The last week before Christmas is inspired by Holy Week. And the touching, poignant tunes of the Passionate are the basis of pre-Christmas songs.

Christmas Eve - Christmas Eve... Expectation has reached its climax. On this day, the Liturgy is combined with Vespers, which marks the beginning of the next day, because the church day begins in the evening. Consequently, after the solemn Liturgy and Vespers connected with it, the time comes for the first day of Christmas. But the post has not yet been cancelled. In the food we are offered a special pre-Christmas meal - "sochivo". This is what gave the name to Christmas Eve - Christmas Eve. "Sochiv" was called in Russia grains of wheat boiled with honey. And it's not just a custom. Like everything that is consecrated by church tradition, the Christmas Eve meal has its own deep symbolic meaning. We commemorate Christ the God-Man with our words, like the Magi, seeing in His Nativity the earthly feat, death and Resurrection. After all, grain is the gospel image of death and resurrection: "... if a grain of wheat that falls on the earth does not die, then it remains alone, if it dies, it will bring forth much fruit ...". In His death is the guarantee of His Resurrection and our resurrection.

And in Christmas we see a type of the Resurrection. And here is a cave, and the night of Christmas is like the night of the future Resurrection, the angel announced to the shepherds about the birth of a wonderful Baby - and the angel announces to the myrrh-bearing women about the Resurrection of Christ and the granting of eternal life to us ...

Food for Christmas

The main of the ritual dishes among the Orthodox is considered kutya, which is prepared on Christmas Eve (January 6). To prepare this dish, you can use boiled grains of cereals - wheat, barley or rice. Here is a typical recipe for a simple kutya: pour 0.5 kg of wheat groats with cold water and cook until softened. Drain the water, dilute a glass of honey with 4 glasses of water and pour the wheat, put the pot with this mixture on the fire, bring to a boil and cool. In more complex recipes, walnuts, raisins and crushed poppy seeds are added to the mass.

It should be noted that the truly Orthodox on holidays are also required to observe certain food prohibitions - from November 28 to January 6, the 40-day Christmas fast continues. These days, on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, you should not eat meat and dairy foods, eggs, fish and vegetable oil. After December 19 (St. Nikola), fish is allowed only on Saturday and Sunday. The last days of fasting from January 2 to January 6 are the most strict, only simple plant foods are allowed, and then only in the evening. Strict fasting is observed, of course, on Christmas Eve, when you can eat only with the appearance of the first star and only juicy (kutya). The first star should be reminiscent of that New Testament star that showed the way for the magi to Bethlehem to the recently born Jesus.

The feast of the Nativity of Christ was one of the most beloved in Russia, as it marked an important period. On the one hand, the Nativity Fast is over, on the other hand, the Great One is being planned. Yes, and the time itself, when all housework came to a standstill, suggested a distraction from pressing worries and a joyful meeting of the birth of the Savior. What traditions of celebrating the Nativity of Christ existed in Russia?

in the countryside

The peasants developed their own special customs for celebrating the Nativity of Christ, which differed from urban traditions. So, the eve of the holiday - Christmas Eve - was held in strict fasting. Eating began only with the rising of the first star on the night of January 6-7. At the same time, the meal itself was performed in a special way. On Christmas Eve, before sunset, the whole family stood up for prayer. At the end of it, the owner of the house took a lit wax candle and attached it to one of the loaves lying on the table. Then an armful of straw and hay was brought from the yard, with which the front “red” (with icons) corner of the house was covered. An unthreshed sheaf of rye and kutia (porridge diluted with honey) was also placed under the icons. After that, the whole family sat down at the table.

These rituals had a double meaning. On the one hand, elements of the pagan past of the Slavs remained in them - straw, hay, etc. symbolized the awakening of the creative forces of nature, the beginning of a new life cycle after a long winter. On the other hand, a Christian meaning was also laid: straw and hay were a symbol of the manger (feeder for cattle), in which the Savior was after birth, and placed in the “red” corner, they resembled the cave of the Nativity.

After a night meal, everyone went out for a walk, carols began. Caroling consisted in the fact that young boys and girls, and sometimes children, gathered in groups and, moving from one courtyard to another, sang small songs under the windows in honor of the Nativity of the Savior. According to custom, the owner of the house invited the youth to his place or, at least, gave money, bread, sweets, and for those who are older, also alcohol.

The peasants tried to meet the holiday in the temple for worship. However, after the festive service, the real revelry began. As domestic ethnographers note, on the feast of the Nativity of Christ in the villages they drank a lot. It happened that the only ones who could stand on their feet after the parties were small children and teenagers. And yet the youth continued to carol and praise the birth of the Savior. The singers, as a rule, sang the troparion of the holiday, and at the end they added a small chant-saying. One of them went like this:

Blessed Virgin Mary

She gave birth to Jesus Christ.

Laid in the manger

The star was shining bright

She showed the way to three kings -

Three kings came

They brought gifts to God

fell on their knees,

Christ was praised...

In the town

In the cities, the feast of the Nativity of Christ was a time when a person left the usual routine of his life. Most of the townspeople in honor of the holiday performed deeds of mercy and charity. The tone in this, as a rule, was set by the king and his entourage.

So, for example, on the eve of the celebration of Christmas, the king traditionally visited almshouses and prisons, where he distributed generous alms and fed the destitute from his own hands.

On the holiday itself, in addition to participating in the festive church service, it was customary to invite the clergy to their homes to perform a prayer service. At the end of it, the king, and following his example, the whole court, arranged a charitable meal for the poor and homeless, at which he again distributed alms. Evidence has been preserved that the king promoted his subordinates for the performance of works of mercy, as was done for service. In general, Christmas Eve and the holiday itself were a time of feasting, not work.

According to custom, on these two days it was not allowed to judge and work in orders, merchants were forbidden to sit in their shops at least three hours before the start of festive services. The Orthodox Church also called on believers these days to leave all worldly worries.

Unfortunately, festive folk traditions were not always decent. Ordinary citizens believed that in honor of such a great holiday, and even after fasting, you can break the fast with alcohol. It came to the point that on these days whole crowds of people gathered near drinking houses, taverns and mug yards. On this occasion, the Russian historian Nikolai Ivanovich Kostomarov cites a saying that was common among the townspeople and characterized their attitude to the holiday: "Whoever is happy with the holiday is drunk to the light."

However, it is important to note that the Russian Orthodox Church has always opposed such revelry and called for a pious celebration of Christmas - for processions, prayers, doxology, spiritual joy. As an admonition for unbridled revelry, the priests imposed penances (church punishments) on people, and also excommunicated them from participation in the Sacrament of the Eucharist for a long time. Thus, it was the Church that tried to protect a person from his pernicious habits, recalling the main meaning of the Christmas celebrations - the coming into the world of the Savior Jesus Christ.

Prepared by: Sergey Milov

Dmitry Kostromin

The holiday of the bright day of the Nativity of Christ returned to Russia and since 1991 has become a "real" holiday - by the Decree of the Supreme Council of the RSFSR, the day of January 7 is declared a day off. The holiday itself is surprisingly "childish", perhaps even the most "childish" of all Orthodox holidays. See how children perceive Christmas! And all of us on this day and on the eve of it are a little children. It is clear that the long persecution of Christianity in the USSR led to the oblivion of many traditions and ritual ceremonies...

Why is Christmas celebrated on January 7th in Orthodoxy? How do people celebrate Christmas in Russia? Divine Liturgy at Christmas. Food for Christmas.

Our city sweeps with powder,

Christmas is coming again...

We wish you only the best,

What you can wish your friends.

A bit of history

The Nativity of Christ is one of the great holidays of Christianity and belongs to the twelve great twelfth holidays. In the Eastern Church, the feast of the Nativity of Christ is considered the second feast after Easter. And in the Western church, in some denominations, this holiday is revered even higher than Easter. This is because the Nativity of Christ symbolizes the possibility of salvation that opens up for people with the coming into the world of Jesus Christ. In Eastern countries, Easter symbolizes the spiritual resurrection of a person, which is honored more than the Nativity of Christ.

The rules for celebrating the Nativity of Christ were finally formed in the 4th century. So, for example, if the eve of a holiday falls on a Sunday, the first rule of Theophylact of Alexandria is used to celebrate this holiday. On the eve of the holiday, instead of the usual hours, the so-called Royal Hours are read, various Old Testament prophecies and events related to the Nativity of Christ are recalled. In the afternoon, the liturgy of Basil the Great takes place, in the case when the eve does not take place on Saturday or Sunday, when the liturgy of St. John Chrysostom is served, at the usual time. The All-Night Vigil begins with Great Compline, at which spiritual joy over the Nativity of Christ is expressed with the prophetic song "For God is with us."

However, the beautiful and solemn holiday of the Nativity of Christ is not celebrated in different countries in the same way, but bears the imprint of the customs and traditions of a certain people. So, for example, in Catholicism, the Nativity of Christ is celebrated magnificently and solemnly with three services: at midnight, at dawn and in the afternoon. Such a construction of the holiday symbolizes the birth of Jesus Christ in the bosom of the Father, in the womb of the Mother of God and in the soul of a believer. Since the time of Francis of Assisi, a manger with a figurine of the Infant Christ has been installed in Catholic churches so that believers can worship the image of the newborn Jesus Christ. A nativity scene is being built (that is, the cave where Jesus Christ was born) with figures of the Holy Family and in Orthodox churches.

Both in Catholicism and in Orthodoxy, during the Christmas sermon, the idea is especially emphasized that with the birth of Jesus Christ (which symbolizes the coming of the Messiah into the world), the opportunity opens up for every believer to achieve the salvation of the soul and, through the fulfillment of the teachings of Christ, receive eternal life and heavenly bliss. Among the people, the holiday of the Nativity of Christ was accompanied by folk festivals, songs and games, gatherings and caroling, Christmas fun.

*Christmas in Russia*

Christmas - "the second Easter"; a great holiday, a holy day, honored more than all other days of the year - after the day of the Bright Resurrection of Christ.

The night sky over Bethlehem is twinkling with stars... And we, together with the shepherds, hear angelic singing, see the angel-bringer and rejoice at the birth of the miraculous Adolescence. But our joy is not violent, like the rejoicing of the pagans. She is quiet, Christian. We know that suffering and death await this Child. He, innocent, will be unjustly condemned, and those for whose sake He came into the world will shout to Pilate: "Crucify! Crucify Him!" Therefore, the joy of the coming of God is colored with sadness. But we also know that He came for the Resurrection, in order to deliver us from death and defeat evil. And again, peace of mind.

Gregorian and Julian or New Year and "Old" New Year

Merry Christmas, I congratulate you!

Happiness and health, I wish you all the best,

Holiness, deceit - in moderation so that everything,

Joy, good luck. Bad - nothing!

And for Orthodox Christians in Russia, Georgia, the Holy Land, as well as for some other churches of the Eastern rite, the day traditionally considered the birthday of Jesus will come later.

The temporary discrepancy between the celebration of Christmas by various churches is due to the fact that most countries in Europe and the USA celebrate Christmas according to the Gregorian calendar - December 25, and Russia - according to the Julian calendar, on January 7 (i.e. December 25 according to the Gregorian calendar coincides with January 7 according to the old style).

In the Julian calendar, the average duration of the year in the interval of 4 years was 365.25 days, which is 11 min 14 s longer than the tropical year.

The length of the year in the Gregorian calendar is on average 365.2425 days, which is only 26 seconds longer than the tropical year.

The difference between the old and new styles in 1582 (the year it was introduced in Europe by Pope Gregory) was 10 days, in the 18th century - 11 days, in the 19th century - 12 days, and in 20 respectively - 13 days.

In our country, the Gregorian calendar was introduced in 1918, but the Russian Orthodox Church continues to use the Julian calendar to this day, explaining the reluctance to switch to a new style by the fact that then the structure of the church year will be violated.

How did Russia celebrate Christmas?

And Christmas is like a magician, a wizard,

Like a precious talisman.

Health, vivacity and fun,

And let happiness give you.

In Russia, Christmas began to be celebrated in the 10th century. It has long been a quiet and peaceful holiday. Christmas Eve - Christmas Eve - was celebrated modestly both in the palaces of Russian emperors and in the huts of peasants. But the next day, fun and revelry began - Christmas time.

They went from house to house with songs, arranged round dances and dances, dressed up as bears, pigs and various evil spirits, frightened children and girls, guessed. For greater persuasiveness, scary masks were made from various materials. By the way, from the 16th century, the Christmas masks began to be officially called mugs and mugs.

Ordinary people had fun in the squares, where booths, carousels, markets, tea and vodka tents were set up. Richer people stayed up late in restaurants and taverns. The merchants rode in troikas. Noble nobles arranged balls. In the villages, Christmas time was celebrated by the whole world, moving from hut to hut.

Muscovites at Christmas went for a walk in Petrovsky Park. Marina Grove, Ostankino, Sokolniki.

Russian sovereigns also celebrated Christmas noisily.

Peter the Great used to make fun of Christmas games. In the royal chambers, everyone dressed up, sang songs, guessed. The sovereign himself with a large retinue traveled around the houses of noble nobles and boyars. At the same time, everyone had to zealously have fun - whoever had a "sour face" was beaten by batogs.

Elizaveta Petrovna celebrated Christmas time according to old Russian customs. The courtiers were supposed to appear at the court in costume, but without masks. The empress herself dressed up, and the empress was very fond of singing Christmas songs with the girls.

Catherine the Great respected folk fun and entertainment and often took part in them. In the Hermitage they played blind man's buff, forfeits, cat and mouse, sang songs, and the Empress famously danced with the peasants.

Divine Liturgy at Christmas

In the 5th century, Anatoly, Patriarch of Constantinople, and in the 7th century, Soffoniy and Andrew of Jerusalem, in the 8th century, John of Damascus, Kozma Mayumsky, and Herman, Patriarch of Constantinople for the feast of the Nativity of Christ wrote church hymns, which are used by the current church. And also performed the Christmas kontakion "Virgin today ...", written by St. Roman the Melodist.

Christ is born - praise!

Christ from heaven - hide!

Christ on earth - ascend,

Sing to the Lord all the earth,

And sing with joy, people,

Like become famous!

The service of the Divine Liturgy is performed in the church. In the middle of the temple, where a festive icon is usually exhibited, there is a cave made of spruce twigs, strewn with stars. Little brothers, witnesses of Christmas are not forgotten: a cow and a calf. They also participate in the celebration. Maybe in order to better approach the great mystery? And for this, according to Christ, one must become like children.

The holiday itself is surprisingly "childish", perhaps even the most "childish" of all Orthodox holidays. See how children perceive Christmas! And all of us on this day and on the eve of it are a little children. Together we decorate the Christmas tree - and how much joy everyone has!

In order to adequately prepare for the feast of the Nativity of Christ, the Church has set a time for preparation - the Nativity Fast. During the entire fast, one should refrain from entertainment, wasting time on pleasures, from idleness - after all, the real holiday is ahead.

An increasing place in daily worship is occupied by hymns telling about Christmas events, fasting is becoming more and more strict. The last week before Christmas is inspired by Holy Week. And the touching, poignant tunes of the Passionate are the basis of pre-Christmas songs.

Christmas Eve - Christmas Eve... Expectation has reached its climax. On this day, the Liturgy is combined with Vespers, which marks the beginning of the next day, because the church day begins in the evening. Consequently, after the solemn Liturgy and Vespers connected with it, the time comes for the first day of Christmas. But the post has not yet been cancelled. In the food we are offered a special pre-Christmas meal - "sochivo". This is what gave the name to Christmas Eve - Christmas Eve. "Sochiv" was called in Russia grains of wheat boiled with honey. And it's not just a custom. Like everything that is consecrated by church tradition, the Christmas Eve meal has its own deep symbolic meaning. We commemorate Christ the God-Man with our words, like the Magi, seeing in His Nativity the earthly feat, death and Resurrection. After all, grain is the gospel image of death and resurrection: "... if a grain of wheat that falls on the earth does not die, then it remains alone, if it dies, it will bring forth much fruit ...". In His death is the guarantee of His Resurrection and our resurrection.

Unlike most Christian countries, in Russia Christmas is not celebrated on December 25, but on January 7. This is due to the fact that, unlike the state, which switched to the Gregorian calendar back in 1918, the church continues to adhere to the Julian, which is 13 days behind the generally accepted Gregorian. According to the church calendar, December 25 falls on January 7.

Together with Russia, on January 7, Christmas is also celebrated in countries that are part of the zone of canonical influence of the Russian Orthodox Church - Belarus, Ukraine, Moldova, as well as the Russian population of countries near and far abroad. In addition, two other Orthodox churches celebrate Christmas at the same time - Georgian and Serbian, as well as some groups of believers in other Orthodox countries - Greece, Bulgaria and Romania. And the Armenian Apostolic Church, according to tradition, will celebrate Christmas at the same time as the baptism - on January 19th.

In turn, the official church organizations of Greece, Bulgaria and Romania, like the majority of Orthodox believers in these countries, celebrate Christmas together with Western Christians - Catholics and Protestants - on December 25th.

Note that Christmas has practically merged with the pagan holiday of Christmas time, celebrated back in the days when our distant ancestors were pagans. Many Christmas rituals have become an integral part of the celebration of Christmas in Russia. Under Soviet rule, during the reign of official atheism, almost all the traditions associated with the celebration of the Nativity of Christ were lost. Thank God, it is irrevocable, and below we will try to restore the picture of how the Russian people celebrated the coming of the Savior into our world.

They waited a long time for Christmas, preparations for it were
very meticulous and thorough. In the old days, they prepared ahead of time for the holiday: they carried out general cleaning in the house, set up and decorated the Christmas tree, and made preparations for the festive table.

Christmas was preceded by a four-week strict fast, ending on the eve of the holiday - Christmas Eve, on which people usually abstained from food until late in the evening, "until the first star." Dinner on Christmas Eve was Lenten, Lenten if possible. They ate only fish and vegetables. Fortunately, there were a lot of fish in Russia - beluga, sturgeon, pike perch, navaga, herring, catfish, bream ...

A real feast with meat dishes began on Christmas - after attending a nightly festive service in the church.

The Christmas table was decorated in a special way: they usually put a little hay or straw under the tablecloth (a memory of the manger of little Jesus), and under the table - some kind of iron object, on which everyone sitting at the table should put their feet in turn in order to maintain health during the coming years (iron symbolizes health and strength).

After the appearance of the first star in the sky, the whole family gathered at the table. On the holiday, family and guests were regaled with all kinds of snacks, meat and fish, aspic and jelly. And, of course, it was hard to imagine a Christmas meal without a baked goose with apples. Fried bird - decoration of the Christmas table. Chicken is served cold, goose or duck - hot. Chicken was eaten with pickles, tomatoes and herbs, hot poultry with fried potatoes. Salads of cucumbers, tomatoes, cabbage, fresh and pickled cucumbers, pickled apples and lingonberries are served separately. At Christmas, pies and pies were baked in every house, which were also treated to those who came to “carol”. Carols are cheerful songs that glorified the birth of Christ, but after the glorification of the Savior, their content became quite ordinary, festive in a secular way.

At the table they ate, drank, wished each other happiness, congratulated each other on Christmas, and then distributed gifts, bringing great joy to children. The next day, everyone received guests and went to visit themselves.