Orthodox Christmas 2027 & 2028: Exact Dates & Day

Orthodox Christmas 2027 — Date, History & Traditions

Orthodox Christmas in 2027 falls on Thursday, January 7. It marks the Nativity of Jesus Christ for Orthodox Christian churches that still follow the old Julian calendar, including the Russian, Serbian, Georgian, and Jerusalem Orthodox Churches. The date is fixed every year at January 7 on the Gregorian calendar — through the year 2099.

January 2027 observance at a glance:

• Thursday, January 7, 2027 — Orthodox Christmas
• Also known as: Orthodox Christmas Day, Christian Orthodox Christmas, Eastern Orthodox Christmas, Julian Calendar Christmas
• Type: Religious observance, official public holiday in several countries
• Preceded by: The Nativity Fast (40 days)

What Is Orthodox Christmas?

Orthodox Christmas celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ. It is observed by Orthodox Christian churches that calculate their religious calendar using the older Julian system rather than the Gregorian calendar used by most of the world. That 13-day gap between the two calendars is why the holiday lands on January 7 instead of December 25.

Why Orthodox Christmas Falls on January 7 — The Julian Calendar

The Julian calendar was introduced by Julius Caesar in 45 BC and remained the standard calendar across Christendom for over 1,500 years. In 1582, Pope Gregory XIII introduced the Gregorian calendar to correct a small drift in the Julian year length.

Catholic and Protestant churches adopted it. Many Orthodox churches did not.

That gap has widened to 13 days today. December 25 on the Julian calendar therefore corresponds to January 7 on the Gregorian calendar — the date most calendars, including this one, use for scheduling. This offset will remain 13 days until the year 2100, when it will grow to 14 days, shifting Orthodox Christmas to January 8 for Julian-calendar churches.

In 1923, an inter-Orthodox congress adopted a Revised Julian calendar, which realigns almost exactly with the Gregorian calendar. Churches that adopted it — including Constantinople, Antioch, Alexandria, Cyprus, Greece, Romania, Bulgaria, and Poland — kept their fixed feasts, including Christmas, on December 25.

Churches that kept the original Julian calendar — Russia, Serbia, Georgia, Jerusalem, and the monastic community of Mount Athos — continued celebrating Christmas on what is now January 7.

Does the Greek Orthodox Church Celebrate Christmas on January 7?

No. The Greek Orthodox Church uses the Revised Julian calendar for fixed feasts, so it celebrates Christmas on December 25, the same day as Western Christianity.

The one notable exception is the monastic community of Mount Athos in Greece, which still follows the old Julian calendar and observes Christmas on January 7. Searches for “Greek Orthodox Christmas” on January 7 are a common mix-up — the January 7 date applies to the Russian, Serbian, Georgian, and Jerusalem Orthodox traditions, not the Greek Church’s main calendar.

Which Countries Celebrate Orthodox Christmas as a Public Holiday?

Orthodox Christmas is an official public holiday in Russia, Serbia, Georgia, Ukraine, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Moldova, along with Egypt, Ethiopia, Eritrea, and Sudan, where Coptic and Ethiopian Orthodox communities mark the Nativity around the same date.

In Ukraine, both December 25 and January 7 are recognized as public holidays, reflecting the country’s mixed Orthodox calendar practice since 2023. In the United States and Western Europe, Orthodox Christmas is a religious observance rather than a public holiday — businesses, schools, and government offices keep normal hours.

The Nativity Fast — Orthodox Advent Before Christmas

The Nativity Fast is the Orthodox equivalent of Advent — a 40-day period of preparation before Christmas. For churches on the old Julian calendar, it begins on November 15 (November 28 Gregorian) and ends on Christmas Eve, January 6. During the fast, observant Orthodox Christians abstain from meat, dairy, and — on the strictest days — fish, wine, and oil, while increasing prayer and charitable giving. The final day of the fast, Christmas Eve, traditionally involves a strict fast until the first star appears in the evening sky, echoing the Star of Bethlehem, before the Holy Supper begins.

Orthodox Christmas Traditions, Symbols & Customs

The Holy Supper on Christmas Eve

Families gather on the evening of January 6 for a meal known as the Holy Supper. A white tablecloth represents Christ’s swaddling cloth, and straw or hay is sometimes placed on or under the table as a reminder of the manger.

Two dishes appear across most Slavic Orthodox tables: Kutia, a sweet wheat or rice pudding with honey, poppy seed, and nuts, and Uzvar, a dried-fruit compote. The meal traditionally consists of meatless dishes, since the fast does not end until midnight or the following morning’s liturgy.

Icons, Candles, and the Christmas Tree

Orthodox homes and churches display an icon of the Nativity of Christ, showing Mary, the infant Jesus in a cave rather than a stable, and the shepherds and magi. Candles are lit to represent Christ as “the Light of the World.” Some Orthodox families also decorate a Christmas tree, though the custom is treated as a secondary, secular addition rather than a core religious tradition — in several post-Soviet countries, tree decorating is culturally tied to New Year’s Day rather than Christmas itself.

Midnight Liturgy

On the night of January 6 into January 7, Orthodox churches hold a festal Divine Liturgy, often beginning with the Vigil service and continuing into the early morning. Candlelight, incense, and the singing of the Nativity Canon mark the service.

Orthodox Christmas Greetings

The traditional Orthodox Christmas greeting across languages is “Christ is born!”, answered with “Glorify Him!” — a call-and-response used in church services and at the family table. Regional versions include:

Language / Tradition	Greeting	Response
Russian	Khristos razhdayetsya!	Slavite Yego!
Serbian	Hristos se rodi!	Vaistinu se rodi!
Church Slavonic (liturgical)	Christ is born!	Glorify Him!

Serbian households also mark Christmas Eve by burning the badnjak, an oak branch or log brought into the home or church courtyard — a pre-Christian tradition later adopted into Serbian Orthodox Christmas Eve observance.

Frequently Asked Questions About Orthodox Christmas

When is Orthodox Christmas in 2027?

Orthodox Christmas in 2027 falls on Thursday, January 7. The Gregorian date is fixed every year through 2099.

Why is Orthodox Christmas celebrated on January 7th instead of December 25th?

Because several Orthodox churches — including the Russian, Serbian, Georgian, and Jerusalem Orthodox Churches — still use the Julian calendar for religious dates. The Julian calendar now runs 13 days behind the Gregorian calendar, which shifts their December 25 to January 7 on the calendar most of the world uses day-to-day.

Is Orthodox Christmas the same as Greek Orthodox Christmas?

Not usually. The Greek Orthodox Church follows the Revised Julian calendar and celebrates Christmas on December 25, aligned with Western Christianity. Only the Mount Athos monastic community in Greece still observes January 7.

What is the Nativity Fast?

The Nativity Fast is a 40-day period of fasting and spiritual preparation before Orthodox Christmas, comparable to Western Advent. For old-calendar churches it runs from November 15 (Gregorian: November 28) through January 6.

Is Orthodox Christmas a public holiday?

It is an official public holiday in Russia, Serbia, Georgia, Ukraine, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Moldova. In most Western countries, including the United States, it is a religious observance without a change to normal business hours.

What are the key customs during Orthodox Christmas?

Core customs include the 40-day Nativity Fast, the Christmas Eve Holy Supper with dishes like Kutia and Uzvar, a fast until the first star appears on Christmas Eve, and the midnight Divine Liturgy on January 6–7.

How do Orthodox Christmas celebrations differ from mainstream Christmas traditions?

Orthodox Christmas places more emphasis on fasting, liturgy, and religious symbolism than on secular traditions like Santa Claus or commercial gift-giving, which in several historically Orthodox countries are instead associated with New Year’s Day.

Orthodox Christmas 2027 falls on Thursday, January 7 — the same fixed Gregorian date every year through 2099. Rooted in the Julian calendar still used by the Russian, Serbian, Georgian, and Jerusalem Orthodox Churches, the holiday is preceded by the 40-day Nativity Fast and marked with the Christmas Eve Holy Supper, midnight liturgy, and the traditional greeting “Christ is born! — Glorify Him!”

For more detailed insights, see AP News and CNN. You can also browse Epiphany, observed shortly before Orthodox Christmas in the Western calendar, or the January 2027 calendar.