Why is Christmas celebrated on different dates? Why are Catholic and Orthodox Christmas at different times? How Orthodox and Catholics prepare for Christmas
Let's start with the fact that the differences are in the details, and the similarities are in the essence of this great and happy holiday. The Savior has appeared to the world! And it doesn’t matter what year or what day. The entire Christian world - Orthodox and Catholic - glorifies this event, rejoices in it and becomes, albeit temporarily, kinder and more merciful.
When and where did Christmas appear?
There are several versions of when exactly Jesus Christ was born. There is a theory that it was not even in winter, but at the end of spring - on May 20. The originator of this theory, so unusual for ordinary people, is Clement of Alexandria. According to his very ancient writings, the baby Jesus was born on May 20, according to the current calendar style.
Fact: The time interval for the birth date of the miraculous baby ranges between 12 BC. e. and 7 AD
Historians unanimously agree on one fact: Jesus was born in Bethlehem, in a manger, that is, in a barn in which cattle are kept. The baby's mother is Maria. And the father is the holy spirit. The birth of the Savior was announced to humanity by the Star of Bethlehem, which illuminated the night sky.
This is interesting: The Jews, on whose land the Savior was born, professed Judaism and did not celebrate the holiday of Christmas. According to Jewish concepts, there is nothing joyful at all in the fact of a person’s birth - a continuous “beginning of sorrows and pains.”
The Christian world truly began to celebrate Christmas only in the 5th century AD.
Three differences between Orthodox Christmas and Catholic Christmas
- The most noticeable difference is in the date of celebration.
The reason for this is different calendars. Catholics live according to the Gregorian calendar, and the Orthodox world lives according to the Julian calendar.
It so happened that the same holiday has two birthdays - January 7 - Orthodox Christmas and December 25 - Catholic.
Fact: the first mention of the date of Christmas celebration - December 25, was noted in the chronicle of 221 AD.
The Catholic Church did not take the day of the Nativity of Christ out of its mind. She borrowed it from the pagans, who on December 25 praised the Sun and glorified his Birth. The pagans were also guided by logic - it was on December 25 that daylight hours began to increase.
- The second difference is the attitude towards the fast preceding Christmas.
In the Catholic world, strict fasting before Christmas is not observed. There are small restrictions on food, but the essence of fasting lies more in spiritual restrictions in order to cleanse the soul before the great event.
Orthodox Christians keep a strict fast that completely excludes meat and dairy products. The Nativity Fast begins at the end of November and lasts until the night of January 6-7 - until the first star, the prototype of that distant Bethlehem star, which told humanity the good news.
During this fast, the religious Orthodox world allows itself a small indulgence in the form of fish only on weekends.
Christmas Eve - Christmas Eve - the last day of Lent, when only sochi is allowed. These are barley or wheat grains soaked in water or honey.
Catholics also have Christmas Eve, but due to the fact that they do not keep a strict fast, its practical meaning is lost for them.
In force strict fasting, Christmas is a breaking of the fast, implying smooth exit from the post. The festive table on Christmas night was always fast and contained 12 dishes - according to the number of apostles.
Catholics have only 12 dishes left from this tradition, but among them there is turkey, and butter pies, and everything that is not Lenten dishes.
For Catholics and Orthodox Christians, the nightly Christmas meal has one thing in common - it unites family members at the table. Christmas is family holiday. IN Christendom It is customary to celebrate it at home, with family and friends.
- The third difference is the nature of the holiday.
Among modern Catholics, the nature of the holiday of the Nativity of Christ has shifted more to the civil plane, moving away from the bosom of the church. External attributes remained - installations of doll nurseries with the infant Christ in churches and city squares, decoration of Christmas trees, and the ritual of exchanging gifts. It is at Christmas that Catholic children await a visit from St. Nicholas or Santa Claus.
In the Orthodox world, Christmas is a great church holiday, accompanied by solemn services, magnificent and lengthy. Immediately after Christmas, Christmastide begins - two holy weeks that end on January 18th.
On Christmas night, Orthodox children do not expect gifts. Santa Claus comes to them on New Year's Eve.
Fact: Orthodox Christians have one Christmas service, continuous, consisting of three parts, lasting until the morning.
Catholics celebrate three masses at Christmas - night, morning and afternoon. They are separate and there are breaks between them.
But be that as it may, the true spirit of Christmas remains unchanged, despite all the differences between Catholic and Orthodox world. On Christmas, it is customary to give good things, help those in need, and do charity work. This is the essence of this great holiday. And who cares what inspired a person to drive envy and resentment out of his heart, to smile at a passerby, to warm and feed a homeless person? The main thing is that goodness was born, which means that the spirit of Christmas is alive and continues to work miracles.
Merry Christmas!
One of the warmest, brightest and most beloved holidays is rightfully considered Christmas, which just so happened to be divided into two branches - Catholic and Orthodox. I'm in in this case, I’m not talking about other faiths, but only about Christianity.
At Christmas, such wafers are broken off piece by piece and eaten both before the festive meal and while congratulating each other on the holiday. Moreover, you need to break off a piece from the wafer from another person, which symbolizes unity, mutual forgiveness and love for your neighbor.
On Christmas Eve, the day before Christmas, after the evening service, the family gathers at the table, where there should be at least 12 Lenten dishes. On Christmas Day itself, 12 dishes are also served on the table, but they are far from being Lenten. The type of meat served at dinner varies depending on the traditions of a particular country.
There are differences in the service itself. So, in Orthodoxy there is one night Christmas service, which combines Great Compline, Matins and Liturgy. And Catholics celebrate three Christmas masses separately - at night, in the morning and during the day. This symbolizes the birth of the Savior in the womb of the Father, in the womb of the Virgin Mary and in the soul of every person.
But let's return to the festive table.
First of all, it must be said that in many families there is still a tradition put some hay or straw under the tablecloth, which symbolizes the memory of the manger in which Jesus Christ was born.
These same life-size nurseries are being built on the streets of the city in the most visited, local residents and guests of the city, places. Figures of Christ, the Virgin Mary, and Joseph are also placed there. Feeders for animals and other utensils that recreate the atmosphere of the nativity scene.
I won’t speak for other countries, I will say that it is customary to put it on the Christmas table in Latvia.
Christmas table menu in Latvia
First of all, this carp, which is considered a symbol of happiness and prosperity. Its dried scales are put into purses and pockets to New Year brought a lot of money.
A popular dish is boiled pork head with boiled pearl barley. You can simply bake a pig:
You can, of course, replace the pork head with a fried piece of pork, served with stewed cabbage.
At Christmas it is also customary to serve boiled gray peas with pieces fried meat and fatty bacon, washed down with sour milk or kefir. I recently posted the recipe for this dish on my culinary blog." Bread and salt". It was called “Gray peas with bacon in a potato basket.”
Moreover, all the peas cooked for Christmas should be eaten by morning, otherwise many tears will be shed in the New Year.
It is considered a special Christmas dish. The sausage, of course, is not for everyone; its composition can be judged by its name alone.
Piparkukas - an indispensable dish on the Christmas table in Latvia . This is a specific cookie, the name of which translates as pepper cookies. . But this does not mean at all that it is somehow spicy or bitter; the name liver is given this way because it contains a certain amount of pepper, ginger and other spices, which give baked goods a piquant taste:
Well, one more, no less important difference is related to gifts. It is customary for Catholics to give out gifts Santa Claus (Salavecis- in the Latvian interpretation) and precisely on Christmas night. I won’t talk about the gifts themselves; it depends on the economic situation of the country where the good old wizard lives.
But, as an option, you can buy a GPS navigator yourself - after all, men are children too, only bigger ones!
In Russia, we all know very well that Father Frost is at this distribution and he comes to the children on New Year’s night.
These are the differences. I’m afraid that I didn’t remember everything, but I’m also afraid that you will read this article “diagonally” (and I wouldn’t like that at all), because... it turned out to be very big. If anyone has anything to add, I will be happy to talk with you on this topic.
And I would like to end my post with simple words:
Merry Christmas to you, Orthodox Christians!
Peace, goodness and earthly happiness to you!
That's all for now!
What is the difference between old and new style? Why do Catholics and Orthodox Christians celebrate Christmas? different days? Many have asked these questions, but the answer is usually simple - different calendars, and that’s it. What if we agreed to bring the calendars into line?
Let's try to figure it out. Is this really important and why - in the material of the Moscow 24 portal.
Photo: Portal of the mayor and government of Moscow
At first glance, a single date for Christmas would immediately simplify a lot - Orthodox believers would again, as in pre-revolutionary years, begin to celebrate Christmas on December 25, they would not have to observe the Nativity Fast during the New Year, and foreign friends would not have to explain why every time we do not celebrate the main Christian holiday with the rest of the world. In fact, everything is not so simple, but first you will have to understand the differences between calendars and everything that they ultimately led to.
Julian calendar was introduced into the Roman Empire by decree of Julius Caesar, after whom it was named, on January 1, 45 BC. Previously, the Roman year lasted 355 days, which is why they periodically introduced an additional month to keep up with the tropical year - that real period of time during which the sun completes the cycle of changing seasons. The structure of the year of the Julian calendar looks the same as we are used to - 365 days, every fourth year is a leap year. Thus, the average length of the year is 365 ¼ days. Such calendar year unlike the previous one, it has already become longer than the tropical one. Just 11 minutes and 15 seconds - it would seem quite a bit, but every 128 years one extra day accumulated. Because of this, Christmas gradually shifted from being close to winter solstice towards spring, the day also shifted spring equinox- and Easter is counted from it. Ultimately, the discrepancy between calendar time and real time was difficult to ignore. Then the need for a new calendar arose.
Gregorian calendar was introduced by Pope Gregory XIII in Catholic countries October 4, 1582 - there, after this day, October 15 came immediately. This system of calculating time was called the new style (and the Julian calendar, accordingly, became known as old style). Russia did not switch to the Gregorian calendar and continued to live in the Julian calendar. So we had Christmas, like everyone else, on December 25th. Only for Catholics it was already January at that time. And then the revolution happened, and the Council of People's Commissars adopted a decree - to switch to the same number system with the whole world. This happened on January 31, 1918 - after it, February 14 came in the RSFSR, thus we “synchronized” with other countries.
What about the Church?
This is where the fun begins. In secular chronology, we began to live simultaneously with the West. But the Russian Orthodox Church (and with it the Serbian, Georgian, Jerusalem and Athos) refused to change the calendar. And the point here is not at all a stubborn reluctance to follow the Catholics - there are very important reasons for the church behind this decision.
First of all, according to Christian canons, the New Testament Easter must follow the Old Testament. This is dictated by chronological considerations - Jesus Christ was crucified on the eve of the Jewish Passover, and resurrected on its third day. Among Christians living according to the Gregorian calendar, this rule is sometimes violated, which, in theory, distorts the logic of liturgical time calculation - and in the Orthodox church calendar The events of the life of Jesus Christ strictly follow one another. Moreover, just the day before Orthodox Easter traditionally descends on the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem Holy Fire, and in Epiphany night- water is blessed. These miracles are another argument of Orthodox Christians in favor of the truth of their calendar. Agree, the reasons are more than serious, so the position of the majority Orthodox churches It’s clear - let Catholics return to the correct calendar. And we'll wait.
Note
It is interesting that 11 local Orthodox churches (among them Greek, Romanian, Bulgarian and others) celebrate Christmas, like Catholics, on the night of January 25. In 1923, they switched to the New Julian calendar - that is, in fact, a calendar with the Julian Easter and Gregorian calendar simultaneously. It turns out that they celebrate Easter with the Orthodox, and immutable holidays with the Catholics.
The difference between the dates of the Julian and Gregorian calendars is constantly increasing - every 400 years by three days. Thus, Orthodox churches using the Julian calendar will begin to celebrate Christmas on January 8th from 2101.
Catholics invented and adopted the Gregorian calendar in 1582. Pope Gregory XIII pulled it off. There was a reform plan before him, but they didn’t decide before him.
This was done so that the astronomical days of the spring equinox corresponded to the calendar days. And they gradually diverged, since the length of the year in the Julian calendar did not exactly correspond to the real length of the year (in the Gregorian calendar the inaccuracy is much less).
The date of the vernal equinox is decisive for the date of Easter celebration.
Easter is celebrated on the first Sunday after the first full moon, which occurs no earlier than the spring equinox. This is due to the sequence of gospel events.
This is where the problems begin.
The fact is that initially each local church and even individual communities themselves determined the specific date for celebrating Easter. Why is this so?
Pay attention to the word full moon in the verbal formula of Paschal. The Jews, like other ancient cultures, tried to combine the solar annual circle with the lunar one. What is it and where does it come from - briefly here:
And by the time of the Nativity of Christ, the Romans had already realized that it was impossible to create an ideal lunar-solar calendar and decided to focus only on the length solar year. This was done by the same famous Julius Caesar, from where the calendar began to be called Julian. The authors of the calendar are Alexandrian (this is Egypt) scientists led by Sosigenes. The relationship between months and phases of the Moon, which gave rise to the concept of months, was neglected - now full moons and new moons do not fall on the same days of the month. The problem is that the lunar cycle (~29.5 days) does not fit into the solar cycle (~365.2425 days).
Now we remember that to determine the date of Easter we need data about the full moon.
The Jews in those days acted simply - they largely used direct observations.
What should Christian communities scattered in different distant cities do? The goal is to celebrate Easter on one day (it must be said that this good goal was not always achieved due to politics). How to conduct direct observations (and there is also the weather factor, and there may not be an understanding person)? Having decided on a date, how do you get confirmation from everyone that they agree with this decision based on observation?
This is where the decision is made to take the Julian calendar as a basis, and create the simplest possible formula that will take into account full moons, which are not in the calendar (full moons do not fall on the same numbers of months every month, every year). According to this formula, even on a foreign side, only having a calendar and the year number will a person know when to celebrate Easter with everyone else.
This formula was found in Alexandria. It was based on the fact that in 433 BC. The Athenian astronomer Meton found that every 19 years the lunar cycle ends on the same day of the solar year. That is, the full moon once every 19 years again falls on the same number of months.
So, from about the fourth century A.D. Most churches agree to calculate the date of Easter using this formula. Christmas is celebrated simply on December 25th.
In fact, everything is more complicated and Rome preferred to use its Paschal formula even then. Sometimes it was possible to agree on dates 50 years in advance.
Now let's return to the calendar reform. The compilers of the Julian calendar were aware of its inaccuracy, but considered the simplicity of the calendar more important and did not take into account the importance for calendars of continuous counting. That is, they believed that if they wanted, people would simply reform the calendar again and that’s it (as was often done in Ancient Rome). And by the time of the Gregorian reform, people had already lived with one calendar for 1500 years and fell in love with stability :) Therefore, the reform of the Pope was risky and, indeed, on new calendar It took a very long time to cross; Russia was not the only one who took a long time to gather.
Having reformed the calendar and shifted the dates to take into account the error that had occurred (real and calendar equinox), the Pope also introduced a new formula for Paschal. But the Orthodox churches did not accept it, since they preferred to continue to calculate the date using the formula uniformly accepted in Orthodoxy. The date of Easter for Catholics and Orthodox Christians often did not coincide before, but now other holidays have diverged - Christmas, Epiphany and others with a fixed date according to the calendar.
Today the situation has become especially interesting. The current Pope Francis this spring (2015) made a sensational statement (but not formalized in the form of an official decision or proposal) that for the sake of unity in the celebration of Easter, Catholics are ready to accept the Orthodox Easter and do not consider it somehow wrong. This proposal is difficult to discuss, because, in principle, if so, then nothing is required from the Orthodox, Catholics can join and that’s good. Those. this is in fact some kind of diplomatic statement in which both Rome and Byzantium are masters.
Christians of all denominations have experienced a very important time- preparation for one of the two the most important holidays - Christmas. However, followers of various branches of Christianity not only celebrate this holiday in different times, but they also prepare for it in different ways.
Christian churches living in Gregorian calendar(so-called new style), note Christmas into the night from 24 to 25 December. Lives according to the new style catholic church and that's all Protestant denominations. Ten out of 15 local Orthodox Churches celebrate holidays according to the so-called New Julian calendar, which currently coincides with the Gregorian calendar. All churches living according to the new style, as well as most residents of countries whose culture is based on Western values, will celebrate the birth of the son of God on the night of December 24-25, 2017.
By Julian calendar(so-called old style) Christmas Day will come 14 days later. Believers who adhere to the old style will celebrate this amazing holiday into the night from 6 to 7 January.
The five Orthodox churches of the world live according to the Julian calendar. These are the Russian Orthodox Church, Jerusalem, Georgian, Serbian and Polish Orthodox Churches, as well as Mount Athos monasteries. Together with them, some Catholics of the so-called Eastern Rite and a small number of Protestants will celebrate Christmas on the night of January 6-7.
This question is quite complicated, especially considering that the celebration Easter Orthodox and Catholics sometimes have the same thing.
The Gregorian calendar was first introduced by the Pope Gregory XIII in Catholic countries in 1582 instead of the previous Julian. This was done due to the backlog that arose due to the fact that the Julian calendar did not take leap years into account.
IN Soviet Russia The Gregorian calendar was introduced by decree of January 26, 1918, but the Russian Orthodox Church never recognized this, although such attempts were made.
In 1923, most local Orthodox churches adopted the New Julian calendar, similar to the Gregorian, and began to celebrate holidays at the same time as Catholics and Protestants. However, the Russian, Jerusalem, Georgian and Serbian Orthodox churches, as well as the monasteries of Athos, refused to comply with this decision. Thus, the Russian Orthodox Church still adheres to the old style, and the majority of Russians, even those far from religion, celebrate Christian holidays according to the Julian calendar.
That's why Catholic Christmas will come December 25, A Orthodox - January 7.
Why Christmas doesn’t coincide for Catholics and Orthodox Christians, but with Easter everything is more complicated
As you know, in Christianity there are holidays intransient, that is, fixed in the calendar and always celebrated on the same day, and moving (that is, having a floating date).
So, in 1948, at the Moscow meeting of Orthodox churches, a resolution was adopted that Easter and all moving holidays should be calculated according to the Julian calendar, and non-moving ones - according to the calendar according to which the local church lives.
But in fact, all this just needs to be accepted and remembered, and as for moving holidays, for example, Easter, you just need to check their date annually according to the church calendar.
How Orthodox and Catholics prepare for Christmas
Orthodox Christians begin preparing for Christmas more than a month in advance - for this there is Christmas post which begins November 28 and lasts 40 days - until the evening of January 6. Read more about how it is customary to observe the Nativity Fast in Orthodoxy.
Catholics and Lutherans call preparations for Christmas Advent, this time is also accompanied by fasting and traditional rituals, which have not only a religious, but also a cultural meaning.
What is Advent
Advent(from the Latin word adventus - arrival) is the name of the pre-Christmas period, in its own way spiritual meaning similar to the Nativity Fast among the Orthodox.
Advent is especially important for Catholics - after all, it is a time of spiritual and physical preparation for the holiday of the Nativity of Christ. It should be noted here that if the Orthodox have the main Christian holiday counts Easter, then in the Western tradition the first place is precisely Christmas, therefore, everything connected with it is extremely important for Catholics and Protestants.
Advent lasts four weeks - until Catholic Christmas, that is, it is about a third shorter than the 40-day Orthodox Nativity Fast. During Advent, it is also customary for Western Christians to fast, although not as strict as in Orthodoxy, and to perform various good deeds.
First Sunday of Advent
One of important days before Catholic Christmas- This first Sunday of Advent, which in 2017 falls on December 3.
On this day the first candle in the traditional Advent wreath is lit - Candle of prophecy, which symbolizes the connection between the Old and New Testaments.
Second Sunday of Advent
In second Sunday of Advent, which falls on December 10, the second candle is lit along with the first one. The second candle is called Bethlehem- it is lit in memory of the maiden’s journey Maria and saint Joseph to Bethlehem and the birth there Jesus.
Third Sunday of Advent
Third Sunday of Advent will come December 17. This day is symbolized by the third candle, which is called Shepherds Candle. It is lit along with the first two. The third candle is dedicated to the shepherds who were the first to come to worship the baby Jesus.
Christmas Eve for Catholics
IN Christmas Eve- Christmas Eve (December 24) - light up fourth Advent candle, which is called Angels Candle. This candle symbolizes the divine essence of Christ.
On Christmas night, all four candles in the Advent wreath are lit.
Read about how Western Christians celebrate Christmas in the materials Federal agency news.
Although Advent is considered a period of prayer and fasting, Western countries it is also a very fun time, dedicated to the anticipation of a miracle, with which Christmas is invariably associated. In all populated areas- from lush European capitals to small mountain villages - fairs and sales are held, Christmas markets open, which tourists love to visit. Everyone is trying to stock up on gifts, which are usually given to both children and adults at Christmas.