Overview
- Worshippers from Bethlehem and Jerusalem to Addis Ababa, Belgrade and St Petersburg held Christmas Eve vigils and liturgies leading into January 7.
- An estimated 250–300 million Christians, including Russian, Serbian and Georgian Orthodox as well as Coptic, Ethiopian and Eritrean churches, observe the date.
- Observance follows a 40-day fast ending on January 6, with services and traditional meals to break the fast, and the season concludes with Epiphany on January 19, which includes icy-water rites in some regions.
- The differing date traces to churches that kept the Julian calendar after 1582; if unchanged, the observance will fall on January 8 starting in 2101 as the gap widens.
- Practice varies by country, with several Orthodox churches celebrating on December 25 and Ukraine shifting its public holiday to December 25 in 2023 even as many continue to mark January 7.