January 5 2017 holidays and observances
People also gave out Christmas cakes to “starrers” ( kolyadki * singers). In every home, there were pies and cakes made of unleavened rye dough with various fillings. People garnished cold chicken with pickles, tomatoes and herbs they served hot poultry with roast potatoes.
Chicken was served cold, whilst goose or duck was served hot.
Roasted poultry adorned the Christmas table. ******Īfter attending services on Christmas day, people would break the fast with all kinds of meat and fish dishes, as well as a jellied or roasted goose with apples. People adorn Christmas tree branches with various sweets and glowing lights. ******Īt Christmas, it is customary in many families to decorate a Christmas tree and give each other gifts. President Putin talked to fishermen after attending Nativity services at the Yuriev Monastery. The Russian Orthodox Church also celebrates Christmas on 25 December, but as it didn’t accept the calendar reform by Roman Pope Gregory XIII Boncompagni, the Church observes the feast on that date according to the old Julian calendar, which is 7 January on the “new” Gregorian calendar. Since then, Christendom celebrates Christmas on December 25 (except the Armenian Church, which celebrates Christmas and Epiphany as a single feast on the Epiphany). In 337 AD, Roman Pope Julius I approved 25 December as the date of Christmas. Patriarch Kirill Gundyaev of Moscow and all the Russias served on Nativity at the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour in Moscow. President Putin attended Nativity services at the Yuriev Monastery in Novgorod Oblast. Minority populations in Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Kazakhstan, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, and Syria also observed the holiday according to the Julian calendar.
The majority of those celebrating Orthodox Christmas on 7 January live in Russia, the Ukraine, Belarus, Bulgaria, Georgia, Greece, Macedonia, Moldova, Montenegro, Romania, and Serbia.