What calendar do Catholics and Orthodox live by. Orthodox and Catholic Christmas: what is the difference

Catholics and Protestants living according to the Gregorian calendar, as well as local Orthodox churches of the world that adhere toNew Julian calendar, meet on the night of December 24-25, the feast of the Nativity of Christ.

Christmas is one of the most important Christian holidays, established in honor of the birth of the baby Jesus Christ in Bethlehem. Christmas is celebrated in many countries around the world, only the dates and calendar styles (Julian and Gregorian) differ.

The Roman Church established December 25 as a date for the celebration of the Nativity of Christ after the victory of Constantine the Great (c. 320 or 353). Already from the end of the IV century. the whole Christian world celebrated Christmas on this very day (with the exception of the Eastern churches, where this holiday was celebrated on January 6).

And in our time, Orthodox Christmas "lags behind" the Catholic one by 13 days; Catholics celebrate Christmas on December 25th, while Orthodox Christians celebrate Christmas on January 7th.

This happened due to a confusion of calendars. Julian calendar introduced in 46 BC emperor Julius Caesar, adding one more day in February, was much more convenient than the old Roman one, but still turned out to be not clear enough - the "extra" time continued to accumulate. For every 128 years, one unaccounted day ran. This led to the fact that in the 16th century one of the most important Christian holidays - Easter - began to "come" much earlier than the due date. Therefore, Pope Gregory XIII undertook another reform, replacing the Julian style with the Gregorian one. The purpose of the reform was to correct the growing difference between the astronomical year and the calendar year.

So in 1582 in Europe, a new Gregorian calendar appeared, while in Russia they continued to use the Julian.

In Russia, the Gregorian calendar was introduced in 1918 However, the church did not approve of this decision.

In 1923 On the initiative of the Patriarch of Constantinople, a meeting of the Orthodox Churches was held, at which a decision was made to correct the Julian calendar. The Russian Orthodox Church, due to historical circumstances, was unable to take part in it. Having learned about the conference in Constantinople, Patriarch Tikhon nevertheless issued a decree on the transition to the "New Julian" calendar. But this caused protests in church people and the ruling was overturned less than a month later.

Together with the Russian Orthodox Church on the night of January 6-7, the feast of the Nativity of Christ is celebrated by the Georgian, Jerusalem and Serbian Orthodox Churches, Athos monasteries living according to the old, Julian calendar, as well as many Catholics eastern rite(in particular, the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church) and part of the Russian Protestants.

All the other 11 Local Orthodox Churches of the world celebrate Christmas, like Catholics, on the night of December 24-25, since they do not use the "Catholic" Gregorian calendar, but the so-called "New Julian", which so far coincides with the Gregorian. The discrepancy between these calendars in one day will accumulate by the year 2800 (the discrepancy between the Julian calendar and the astronomical year in one day accumulates over 128 years, the Gregorian - over 3 thousand 333 years, and the "New Julian" - over 40 thousand years).

Christmas is one of the main spiritual Orthodox holidays, which is celebrated on December 25 by Catholics and on January 7 by Orthodox.

In both religions, Christmas Eve is celebrated - the evening on the eve of Christmas night (Jesus was born exactly at night - hence another legend about Star of Bethlehem.) The name in Russian comes from the word sochivo - wheat grains moistened with berry juice or honey. The feast of Christmas itself is the date of breaking the fast - liberation from fasting and indulgence in gluttony.

What is the difference between Catholic and Orthodox Christmas?

date

The discrepancy between the celebration of the Nativity of Christ by Western and Eastern churches due to the different systems of chronology adopted by them. After the new Gregorian calendar was compiled in the West, Catholics and Protestants began to celebrate Christmas two weeks earlier than the Orthodox. We draw readers' attention to the fact that the date is actually the same, and the difference is in the calendar.

In Catholics, even the New Year tree is called Christmas. It is put on the eve of the holiday - December 24 - when Western tradition Day of Adam and Eve is celebrated.

worship

Orthodoxy accepts one Christmas service, which lasts until the morning, and in which Great Compline, Matins and Liturgy are combined.

Catholics serve three separate masses - at night, in the morning and in the afternoon. This symbolizes, as it were, the birth of the Savior in the bosom of the Father, in the womb of the Virgin and in the soul of every person.

Photo: www.russianlook.com / Christmas is the main holiday for Catholics.

Attitude towards the holiday in society and in the church

Orthodox Christmas is a spiritual, church holiday, not a family holiday. Fasting is very strict - every believer must restrain himself and work hard, spiritually and bodily, in order to eventually reward himself with the opportunity to celebrate and rest. Five days before Christmas, the churches commemorate biblical events related to Christmas. The church service itself proceeds in the same way as several centuries ago - all the traditions of those times are observed from year to year. At the same time, Easter is revered more than Christmas. That is, for the Orthodox, it is more important that Christ is resurrected, and for Catholics, that he was born.

For Catholics, Christmas is a favorite family holiday. Church services about other biblical events take place after Christmas, starting on the first of January. Fasting before Christmas is “weaker” than the Orthodox one – it is allowed to relax. The most church service adapted to modern world and simplified.

Catholics have a lot of different dishes for Christmas, but the main thing is still a goose with apples. The Orthodox focus on the festive table on Christmas Eve, when 12 Lenten dishes are placed on the table. For a festive Christmas table, we recommend baking, a step-by-step recipe for which is published on the AIF-Krasnoyarsk website.

Mandatory dishes that should be on the table of the Orthodox at Christmas are juicy and boiled. Sochivo is made from wheat groats or rice with the addition of honey, dried fruits, and nuts. Vzvar is a dried fruit compote.

Christmas table. Photo: www.russianlook.com

At Christmas, Catholics give gifts to everyone. By tradition, no one should be left without a surprise - neither a relative, nor a good friend. IN Orthodox tradition there is no such attention to gifts, although children are traditionally given gifts.

Who is the main character of the holiday?

If the Orthodox honor, of course, the born Christ, who was born, then the Catholics have the main "figurant" of the celebration - St. Nicholas or Santa Claus, whose duties include giving gifts to children. At the same time, Santa Claus himself does not come to the children with a bag of gifts, like the Russian Father Frost. He hides gifts at night in socks, hangs them over the fireplace, and he himself disappears unnoticed into the chimney. This custom intertwines Christian and pagan rites, and not all priests have a positive attitude towards this almost pagan saint.

The material was prepared using publicly available sources.

Let's start with the fact that the differences are in the details, and the similarities are in the essence of this great and happy holiday. The Savior has appeared to the world! It doesn't matter what year or what day. The entire Christian world - Orthodox and Catholic - glorifies this event, rejoices in it and becomes, albeit for a while, kinder and more merciful.

When and where did Christmas start?

There are several versions of when exactly Jesus Christ was born. There is a theory that it was not even in winter, but at the end of spring - May 20th. The culprit for the emergence of this theory, so unusual for the philistine understanding, is Clement of Alexandria. According to his very ancient writings, the baby Jesus was born on May 20, according to the current calendar style.

Fact: the time interval for the birth date of the miraculous baby ranges between 12 BC and 12 BC. e. and 7 AD

Historians unanimously agree on one fact: Jesus was born in Bethlehem, in a manger, that is, in a barn in which livestock is kept. The baby's mother is Maria. And the father is a holy spirit. The Bethlehem star, which lit up the night sky, announced the birth of the Savior to mankind.

This is interesting: Jews, on whose land the Savior was born, professed Judaism and did not celebrate Christmas. According to Jewish concepts, there is nothing joyful at all in the fact of a person's birth - a solid "beginning of sorrows and pains."

Christendom really began to celebrate Christmas only in the 5th century AD.

Three differences between Orthodox Christmas and Catholic

The most noticeable difference is in the date of the celebration.

This is due to different calendars. Catholics live according to the Gregorian calendar, and the Orthodox world - according to the Julian.

It so happened that the same holiday has two birthdays - January 7 - Orthodox Christmas and December 25 - Catholic.

Fact: the first mention of the date of the celebration of Christmas - December 25 is noted in the annals of 221 new era.

The Catholic Church did not take the day of the Nativity of Christ out of their heads. She borrowed it from the pagans, who on December 25 praised the Sun and glorified his Birth. The pagans were also guided by logic - it is on December 25 that the daylight hours begin to grow.

The second difference is the attitude towards the fast preceding Christmas.

IN Catholic world the strict fast before Christmas is not observed. There are small restrictions on food, but the essence of fasting lies more in spiritual restrictions in order to cleanse the soul before a great event.

Orthodox Christians keep a strict fast, completely excluding meat and dairy products. The Christmas fast begins at the end of November and lasts until the night of January 6-7 - until the first star, the prototype of that distant, Bethlehem, which told mankind the good news.

During this fast, the religious Orthodox world allows itself a small indulgence in the form of fish only on weekends.

Christmas Eve - Christmas Eve - the last day of fasting, when only juicy is allowed. These are grains of barley or wheat soaked in water or honey.

Catholics also have Christmas Eve, but, due to the fact that they do not keep a strict fast, its practical meaning has been lost for them.

By virtue of a strict fast, Christmas is a breaking the fast, which implies a smooth exit from the fast. The festive table on Christmas night was always Lenten and contained 12 dishes - according to the number of apostles.

Catholics have only a number of dishes left from this tradition - 12, but among them there is a turkey, and rich pies, and everything that is not Lenten dishes.

In common, for Catholics and Orthodox, the Christmas night meal has one thing - it unites family members at the table. Christmas is a family holiday. In the Christian world, it is customary to celebrate it at home, in the circle of relatives and friends.

The third difference is the nature of the holiday.

Among modern Catholics, the nature of the Nativity of Christ holiday has shifted more into the civil plane, moving away from the bosom of the church. External attributes remained - installations of puppet mangers with the baby Christ in churches and city squares, decoration of Christmas trees, a ritual of exchanging gifts. It is on Christmas that Catholic children await the visit of St. Nicholas or Santa Claus.

In the Orthodox world, the Nativity of Christ is a great church holiday, accompanied by solemn divine services, magnificent and lengthy. Immediately after Christmas, Christmas time begins - two holy weeks that end on January 18th.

On Christmas Eve, Orthodox children do not expect gifts. Santa Claus comes to them on New Year's Eve.

Fact: Orthodox Christmas worship is one, continuous, consisting of three parts, lasting until morning.

Catholics have three masses at Christmas - night, morning and afternoon. They are separate and there are breaks between them.

But be that as it may, the true spirit of Christmas remains unchanged, despite all the differences between the Catholic and Orthodox worlds. At Christmas, it is customary to give good, help those in need, and do charity work. This is the essence of this great holiday. And who cares what inspired a person to expel envy and resentment from his heart, smile at a passerby, warm and feed a homeless person? The main thing is that good was born, which means that the spirit of Christmas is alive and continues to work miracles.

Merry Christmas!

On December 25, Catholics around the world will celebrate their most important holiday - By the way, Catholic Christmas is now in Ukraine Public Holiday with an official day off.

To be precise, they celebrate Catholic Christmas from December 24 to 25. In many countries, celebrations begin a week in advance.
There is no post as such. There is a so-called Advent - the time of waiting for the holiday. Zealous Catholics during the month before Christmas try to devote more time to prayers and attending church, communicating with their families. And some even limit themselves in food - do not eat meat.
On Christmas Eve, after the evening mass, the family gathers at the Lenten table, which, like ours, should have at least 12 dishes. One of the treats is similar to our sochivo - it is boiled wheat or barley grains with honey.
At Christmas, it is customary to eat consecrated loaves - wafers that are given communion in church.
The main Christmas dish is goose with apples and cabbage or roasted turkey. In the US, turkey is served with cranberry sauce, in England with gooseberry sauce. Turkey baked in white wine is served in France and Greece.

But in Denmark, Catholics prefer goose or duck stuffed with apples, as do Lithuanians and Germans. Peking duck is a traditional Chinese Catholic Christmas dish. And in Belgium for Christmas they serve veal sausage with truffles, in Holland - game, venison or rabbit.
Suckling pig is a Christmas holiday dish in Spain, and in Italians fish and seafood. In Luxembourg, apples and black pudding are eaten at Christmas, and in Portugal, a dish of dried salted cod baccalao.

Catholics give gifts to everyone at Christmas. According to tradition, not a single relative, not a single acquaintance can be left without a gift.
The protagonist of Christmas is, as a rule, not a newborn Savior, but Santa Claus. It is from Santa that children, hanging beautiful socks over the fireplace, are waiting for gifts.

All Christmas miracles are connected with the actions of a funny fat man who laughs funny and loves to play pranks. By the way, not all catholic priests support this almost pagan cult.
Catholics at Christmas decorate not only the Christmas tree, but also the house with traditional wreaths of mistletoe. Most likely, this tradition is associated with the ancient Celtic cult of the Druids, which is associated with the veneration of this plant.
On the eve of Christmas, life-sized open mangers are built on the central streets of cities, figures of Christ, the Virgin and Joseph, animal feeders and other utensils are placed, thus recreating the atmosphere of a nativity scene.
In the Orthodox Church there is one nightly Christmas service, in which Great Compline, Matins and Liturgy are combined. And in the Catholic Church, three Christmas masses are served separately - at night, in the morning and in the afternoon. This symbolizes the birth of the Savior in the bosom of the Father, in the womb of the Virgin and in the soul of every person.

Recall that absolutely soon New Year 2018 . We invite you to find out

Christmas is a shortened name for the holiday - the Nativity of Christ. By biblical legends The birth of the Christ child by the Virgin Mary took place in the Jewish city of Bethlehem on the night of December 24-25.

In what year exactly the messiah appeared to the world, scholars, historians and theologians are still arguing. The period between 12 BC is called. and 7 AD. (Where then the modern chronology, which is conducted "from the birth of Christ", came from, is not entirely clear). The date of December 25 was first mentioned in chronicles in 221 AD. The first Christians were Jews and this holiday was not celebrated at all. Believers widely enough began to honor the date of the birth of Christ from about the fifth century.

However, these details are not very interesting to us, because the Christmas holiday has long lost its exclusively religious coloring and has turned into just a pleasant family holiday, in which it is customary to meet with relatives on this day and be sure to give gifts to all your relatives and friends.

Orthodox and Catholic Christmas have no differences in essence. Only the dates and the external form differ.

The Catholic Church and Protestant denominations of Christianity celebrate Christmas on December 25 in modern times. Gregorian calendar.

The Orthodox Church celebrates Christmas on December 25 Julian calendar(or "old style"), which corresponds to January 7th of the modern Gregorian calendar.

Differences and similarities of the Nativity of Christ among Catholics and Orthodox

Long before the holiday, the Orthodox keep a rather strict Christmas fast. It starts at the end of November and ends on January 6th. You can not eat meat, eggs, dairy products. On weekends you can fish. But no vodka.

Catholics do not keep a strict fast, except that especially believers impose some restrictions on food. It’s just that temples are visited more often during this period.

Both religions celebrate Christmas Eve - the evening before Christmas night (Jesus was born at night - hence another legend about the Star of Bethlehem.) The name in Russian comes from the word sochivo - wheat grains moistened with berry juice or honey. The table is lean, there should be at least 12 dishes on the table.

The feast of Christmas itself is the date of breaking the fast - liberation from fasting and indulgence in gluttony. The main Christmas dish of Catholics and Protestants is a goose with apples or a baked turkey. Variants depending on the countries are very different: goose, turkey, duck, rabbit, venison, suckling pig and even sausage or cod, as in Portugal.

At Christmas, Catholics give gifts to everyone.

By tradition, no one should be left without a gift - neither a relative, nor a good friend. The most interesting thing is that the main person involved in Christmas is not the newborn Savior at all, but St. Nicholas or Santa Claus, whose duties include giving gifts to children. At the same time, Santa Claus himself does not come to the children with a bag of gifts, like our Santa Claus. He hides gifts at night in socks, hangs them over the fireplace, and he himself disappears unnoticed into the chimney. In this custom, Christian and pagan rites are intertwined, and not all priests have a positive attitude towards this almost pagan saint.

Catholics at Christmas can decorate not only the Christmas tree, but also other trees. In Brazil, for example, Christmas trees do not grow, and they are replaced by whoever can. In general, the installation of a Christmas tree at Christmas is also an element of pagan rituals that the church could not squeeze out and decided to adapt them to its own rules.

It is known that in Orthodoxy one Christmas service is accepted, which lasts until the morning, and in which Great Compline, Matins and Liturgy are combined.

Catholic Christmas

The celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ is the Nativity of Christ. Celebrated on the night of December 24-25. Catholic Christmas is preceded by a non-strict fast, which is in the nature of spiritual cleansing. The holiday itself has almost lost its religious significance and is a purely family celebration, for which it is customary to give gifts to all relatives and friends without exception. The main "hero" of the Christmas holiday is St. Nicholas, or Santa Claus, who, according to legend, delivers and encloses gifts.

An Orthodox xmas

Feast of the birth of Jesus Christ. Celebrated on the night of 6th to 7th January. Before Christmas, the Orthodox keep a fairly strict fast. The nature of the holiday is more ecclesiastical and spiritual.

Christmas fast for Catholics and Orthodox

Orthodox fast before Christmas

In Orthodoxy, the Nativity Fast begins on November 28, exactly forty days before the Nativity of Christ, and is called in the language of the church the Christmas “Fourteen Days”.

In the minds of most people, the word “fasting” is associated with food restrictions and other carnal abstinences. But the church and clergy insist that fasting is primarily spiritual cleansing, time to clean not so much the body as the soul. “True fasting is the removal from evil, the curbing of the tongue, the putting off of anger, the taming of lusts, the cessation of slander, lies and perjury,” John Chrysostom characterized the essence of fasting.

As for "daily bread", the Orthodox Church prescribes during the days of the Nativity Fast not to consume meat, eggs, milk and animal oil. In addition, it is also forbidden to consume vegetable oil on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Fishing is allowed only on Saturdays and Sundays, as well as in church holidays. However, in the period from January 2 to 6, you can not eat fish even on Saturday and Sunday.

The Nativity fast ends on the night of January 6-7 with the rising of the first star - the same one that showed the Magi the way to the baby Jesus. From this moment on, you can begin to break the fast - eat and drink "everything" and "as much as you like."

catholic advent post

Advent is also present in the tradition Roman Catholic Church. Starts exactly four weeks before catholic christmas. It was precisely 4 weeks that the deadline was finally set by Pope Gregory I the Great (590 - 604). But the start date is not strict, like the Orthodox, it can last less. In 2013, Advent started on December 1st.

Advent in the Roman Catholic Church, strictly speaking, is not a fast. This is the so-called advent, or in our opinion, the expectation of Christmas. There are no strict or non-strict restrictions on food, except for the usual abstinence for Catholics from animal products on Fridays.

The main difference between this period and, say, Great Lent is that this is a time of spiritual repentance. Believers are commanded to avoid sinful thoughts and should prepare for confession. During this period, it is desirable to perform merciful deeds and avoid noisy amusements and gluttony. During Christmas Lent, for example, Catholics do not play weddings.

Priests four weeks before Christmas put on purple liturgical vestments, use purple candles and other related paraphernalia.

Orthodox Christmas fast

From November 28 to January 6, you can not eat food of animal origin, Monday, Wednesday, Friday, vegetable oil is also prohibited, fish is allowed only on weekends. Plus, spiritual cleansing.

Christmas fast for Catholics

There are no strict food restrictions. It assumes only the absence of excessive gluttony, a positive spiritual attitude, repentance, mercy. Starts approximately 4 weeks before the onset of Catholic Christmas.

Christmas and pagan rites

No one knows exact date birth of Christ. The tradition of celebrating Christmas at this time is attributed by scientists to the desire christian church to supplant the established pagan holidays with their own, church ones. Almost all peoples celebrated the winter solstice as a sacred day for the beginning of a new life, as the moment of the birth of the sun god. Well, the Lord's birthday also seems to be the beginning of a new life ... For Catholics, the date of Christmas practically coincides with the point of the winter solstice. For the Orthodox, Christmas is “shifted” relative to the Catholic one due to the rejection by the Orthodox Church of the new Gregorian calendar.