Orthodox Christians in Russia, Greece, Ethiopia and other countries around the world celebrated Christmas Day yesterday (Sunday 7 January). The date is taken from the old Julian calendar, which was introduced by Julius Caesar in 46BC as a reform of the Roman calendar. It was replaced by the Gregorian calendar in the majority of Western Europe around 500 years ago.
A midnight mass – attended by Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev – was held by Patriarch Kirill, head of the Russian Orthodox Church, in the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour in Moscow. Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin attended a Christmas service at the Church of Saints Simeon and Anna in St Petersburg. After the 1917 revolution, Christmas was banned in Russia. People started celebrating it again only after the break up of the Soviet Union.
Christmas services were also held in former Soviet states Belarus and Georgia and in Eastern European countries such as Bosnia, Serbia and Macedonia. IBTimes UK presents a look at Christmas Eve and Christmas Day celebrations over the weekend around the world.
A man dressed as Father Frost leaves a house in the village of Sredniye Pechi, some 290km south of Minsk, BelarusSergei Gapon/AFPPeople celebrate the traditional Kalyady festival – in which they walk from house to house singing, dancing, eating and drinking with their neighbours – in the village of Bukcha, some 280km south of Minsk, BelarusSergei Gapon/AFPBelarusian people celebrate the traditional Kalyady holiday – a pagan festival that coincides with Christmas – in the village of BukchaSergei Gapon/AFPA priest blesses a soldier taking part in an Orthodox service in a military base in Minsk, BelarusMaxim Malinovsky/AFPA girl lights a candle during an Orthodox Christmas service in a church in Minsk, BelarusMaxim Malinovsky/AFPGeorgian Patriarch Ilia II leads a midnight Christmas service at the Holy Trinity cathedral in Tbilisi, GeorgiaDavid Mdzinarishvili/ReutersChildren sing a hymn during a midnight Christmas service at the Holy Trinity Cathedral in Tbilisi, GeorgiaDavid Mdzinarishvili/ReutersOrthodox believers attend a midnight Christmas service at the Holy Trinity cathedral in Tbilisi, GeorgiaDavid Mdzinarishvili/ReutersPeople attend a Christmas Mass at the Sioni cathedral in Tbilisi, GeorgiaVano Shlamov/AFPPeople walk in front of the Holy Trinity cathedral a midnight Christmas service in Tbilisi, GeorgiaDavid Mdzinarishvili/ReutersBelievers march during Alilo, a religious procession to celebrate Orthodox Christmas, in Tbilisi, GeorgiaDavid Mdzinarishvili/ReutersOrthodox believers attend a Christmas Mass at the Sioni cathedral in Tbilisi, GeorgiaVano Shlamov/AFPRussian Patriarch Kirill celebrates the Russian Orthodox Christmas service in Christ the Saviour Cathedral in MoscowAlexander Nemenov/AFPA child yawns as Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev and his wife Svetlana attend a Christmas service at the Christ the Saviour Cathedral in MoscowMaxim Shemetov/ReutersRussian President Vladimir Putin attends a Christmas service in a church in Saint PetersburgAlexey Nikolsky/AFPPeople attend a service on Orthodox Christmas Eve at the Kazan Cathedral in St Petersburg, RussiaAnton Vaganov/ReutersEgyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi speaks, while Coptic Pope Tawadros II looks on, during a Christmas Eve mass at the Nativity of Christ Cathedral in Egypt's new administrative capital, 45kms east of CairoKhaled Desouki/AFPAn Egyptian Muslim woman attends a Christmas Eve mass at the Nativity of Christ Cathedral in Egypt's new administrative capital, 45kms east of CairoKhaled Desouki/AFPEthiopian pilgrims attend a prayer session at the monolithic Orthodox church in Lalibela, ahead of ChristmasTiksa Negeri/ReutersOrthodox pilgrims attend Christmas Eve celebration at Bete Mariam (House of Mary) monolithic Orthodox church in Lalibela, EthiopiaTiksa Negeri/ReutersKarekin II – Catholicos of All Armenians, the supreme head of the Armenian Apostolic Church – celebrates a mass on the eve of the Orthodox Christmas in YerevanKaren Minasyan/AFPA winter swimmer wearing a Santa hat celebrates Orthodox Christmas in the Black Sea port of Yevpatoriya, CrimeaPavel Rebrov/ReutersChristian pilgrims dip in the waters of the Jordan River during a ceremony re-enacting Jesus' baptism at the site known as Qasr el-Yahud, near the West Bank city of JerichoMussa Qawasma/ReutersPalestinian Christians light candles following an Orthodox Christmas mass at the Saint Porfirios church in Gaza CityMahmud Hams/AFPA child wearing a Santa costume attends an Orthodox Christmas mass at the Saint Porfirios church in Gaza CitySuhaib Salem/ReutersJerusalem's Greek Orthodox patriarch Theophilos III leads the Christmas Midnight Mass at the Church of the Nativity in the biblical West Bank town of BethlehemMusa al-Shaer/AFPA baby receives the sacraments during the Orthodox Christmas mass at the St Clement Cathedral in Skopje, MacedoniaOgnen Teofilovski/ReutersMacedonian Orthodox believers attend a liturgy at St Clement Cathedral to celebrate the Orthodox Christmas in SkopjeRobert Atanasovski/AFPChildren sing hymns on Christmas Eve during a service at St Clement Cathedral in Skopje, MacedoniaRobert Atanasovski/AFPMacedonian Christian Orthodox Archbishop Stefan holds a Christmas Liturgy at St Clement Cathedral in SkopjeRobert Atanasovski/AFPA girl looks on candle during an Orthodox Christmas service in a church in Bishkek, KyrgyzstanVyacheslav Oseledko/AFPKosovo Serbs throw oak branches into the bonfire outside the Medieval Monastery in the town of GracanicaArmend Nimani/AFPA man throws oak tree leaves and branches into a bonfire outside the Cathedral of the Resurrection of Christ in Podgorica, MontenegroSavo Prelevic/AFPPeople watch fireworks near the burning Yule logs in front of the Church of the Holy Mother of God during the eve of Orthodox Christmas in Zenica, Bosnia and HerzegovinaDado Ruvic/ReutersA woman throws oak tree leaves and branches into a bonfire outside the Saint Sava church Orthodox Christmas eve celebrations in Belgrade, SerbiaOliver Bunic/AFPA bonfire is reflected on the lenses of a boy's glasses during the ceremonial burning of dried oak branches, symbolising the Yule log, during Orthodox Christmas eve celebrations in Belgrade, SerbiaOliver Bunic/AFP
