Christmas in Russia in 2023: traditions and gifts

Christmas can be considered one of the oldest surviving holidays. In the hierarchy of holidays of the Russian Orthodox Church, it occupies the second place after Easter. Recently (since 1991) it has been celebrated in Russia not only at the church, but also at the state level. A special and magical atmosphere envelops it around mid-autumn, when Russians begin to plan weekends for the New Year and Christmas in 2023. Over the past centuries, the celebration has acquired various rites and rituals. Read about some of them, including fasting and traditions of giving gifts, in our material.

In the ancient world there was no common calendar, so the exact year of the birth of Jesus Christ is still not known. According to indirect data, modern studies have determined that his date of birth is between the year 12 and 5-4 BC. Many historians lean towards 4 BC because it is commonly believed that Jesus was born during the time of Herod the Great. For the first time, the number of December 25 broke in the annals of Sextus Julius Africanus, which he wrote in 221. But as such, the fact of the birth of Jesus has not been indicated by historians and chroniclers of this period. The current Church explains it by the universal and transcendent meaning of the feast, which is far from the ordinary presentation of the chronology of events.

A detailed account of the birth of Jesus Christ is given by the evangelists Matthew and Luke. They describe how Joseph and his wife Mary traveled to Bethlehem to participate in the census. Since there were no places in the hotels, they were forced to spend the night in a cave – it served as a barn to shelter the cattle from the weather. Here Mary gave birth to a son. By the way, another holiday is connected with the history of the earthly life of Jesus and the Virgin Mary – the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos, which in 2023 is celebrated on September 21. The appearance of the Messiah in Bethlehem seven centuries before the great event was predicted by the prophet Micah. And the holiday was already established in the time of the apostles – the disciples of Christ.

Today we know when Christmas is celebrated, and in 2023 January 7 falls on a Saturday. According to the “old style”, it is December 25th. Although this does not mean that Jesus was born on this day. It’s just a centuries-old tradition.

Initially, the date was set according to the Julian calendar, also commonly referred to as “the old style”, on December 25. Thus, according to Orthodox tradition, Christmas should open the cycle of celebrations and close the New Year. But in 1918, the country switched to the Gregorian calendar, and the date was shifted to January 7. After the appearance of the USSR, the date of December 25 had been in the calendars for some time, it was either postponed or returned. As a result, 1929 was the last year Christmas was officially celebrated in the USSR. They banned not only the feast itself, but also the Christmas tree, which was considered a “priestly” custom.

The tradition of the official celebration at the state level was revived in 1991. Since then, authorities have declared January 7 a non-working day. All these years, as well as in 2023 to come, this date remains the only one when the whole country celebrates Christmas. Thus, the difference in dates is explained exclusively by different chronology systems (Gregorian and Julian calendars).

In this regard, it is not entirely true to state that on January 7, 2023, Christmas will be celebrated exclusively by the Russian Orthodox population. How to call December 25 Catholic Christmas. With us, three more of the fifteen Orthodox churches are preparing to celebrate it in January – Georgian, Jerusalem and Serbian. In addition to them, on January 7, Athos monasteries that live according to the Julian calendar, as well as Eastern Rite Catholics and some Protestants celebrate Christmas.

Among Orthodox citizens, there are also those who consider December 25 as the main date, just like Catholics. It is the parishioners of eleven out of fifteen Orthodox churches in the world who adhere to the new Julian calendar, which coincides with the Gregorian. They were joined by Protestants living according to the Gregorian calendar. It is easier for us to talk about the celebration in 2023 and designate Christmas as Orthodox and Catholic, but in fact we are only talking about the discrepancy of the dates. In general, it is one of the most important holidays for Christian culture.

In honor of the holiday, a forty-day fast is established in the Christian tradition – from November 28 to January 6. Observing it, many begin to prepare for Christmas long before it arrives in 2023. Lent is often referred to as Christmas Lent. The second name – Filippov – is due to the fact that its beginning falls on the feast day of the Holy Apostle Philip. At this time, it is important not only to abstain from certain foods.

According to Saint John Chrysostom, “whoever believes that fasting consists only in abstaining from eating is mistaken. The true fast is the removal of evil, the mastery of the tongue, the appeasement of anger, the taming of lusts, the end of slander, lying and perjury. It is a time of prayers, repentance, good deeds and words to celebrate Christmas in 2023 with a pure heart and soul. Let’s see what restrictions it is customary to observe for six weeks:

On the eve of the holiday, Christmas Eve, porridge is prepared from wheat, rice or other cereals, called sochivo. They eat the dish after the evening service. On this day, the liturgy of Saint Basil the Great is celebrated in the churches. They sing hymns of the Nativity of Christ, so it will be in 2023. During the fast on the days when wine is allowed, you can have a drink.

Let’s dive into the history of the party for a moment. When Christmas was almost forgotten in 1935, old traditions were suddenly incorporated into the secular celebration of the New Year on January 1st. The beloved Christmas tree became known as the New Year’s tree, and gifts from Santa Claus also became part of New Year’s traditions and lost their original Christmas associations. In 1937, Grandfather Frost was accompanied for the first time by his granddaughter Snegurochka. This is a Russian fairy tale character who has nothing to do with Christmas, but is exclusively associated with the New Year, which we look forward to meeting in 2023.

Some Russians still have doubts about the exact date on which we celebrate Christmas. According to the rules, the celebration takes place on the night of January 7. At midnight, a solemn service begins, near the temples they put nativity scenes with figurines of the Holy Family, three wise men, angels, animals.

The main service in the capital’s Cathedral of Christ the Savior in recent years has gathered more than 5,000 people. In 2023, many also plan to celebrate Christmas in Moscow, as the city always has a big program of festivities planned. These are festivals, fairs, shows, concerts, exciting excursions. After the service is over, believers gather at the family table. They usually break the fast with meat and fish dishes. A goose, duck or chicken becomes a table decoration. It is also customary to cook pies, honey cakes, casseroles, jelly, king fish, boiled, etc.

Also on January 7, in many regions it is customary to sing Christmas carols or perform a rite of praise. For this, children, young people, adults come to their parents, friends, neighbors with a song to bring joyful news – the birth of the Savior. In return, it is customary to present guests with refreshments.

It is customary to please dear people with gifts not only for the New Year. At the beginning of the 20th century, the main winter holiday in our country was Christmas, in recent years the tradition of giving gifts that day was revived, and it will be the same in 2023. Of course, if there is a desire, and it is not necessary to have big finances. After all, on such a date it is important to present something from the heart, made with your own hands, as a sign of attention and emphasizing the importance of the holiday. And among the cheap souvenirs, there are the following:

If possible, you can plan a vacation for Christmas, in 2023 Veliky Ustyug, Baikal, Altai, Veliky Novgorod, Kaliningrad, Karelia will become popular places to visit … This holiday is the time of miracles that each of us can create for our loved ones, plunging together into an atmosphere of magic and goodness.

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