Eastern European and Middle Eastern Orthodox Christians will celebrate Christmas Day today (January 7) – 13 days after many other Christians celebrated Jesus’ birth. Christians who celebrate Christmas on January 17, though, do so using the Julian calendar that was introduced by Roman Emperor Julius Caesar in 46BC. Some did, however, accept a Revised Julian calendar** proposed in May 1923 at the Pan-Orthodox Congress of Constantinople. In contrast, Greek Orthodox Church of Jerusalem, Russian Orthodox Church, Serbian Orthodox Church, Georgian Orthodox and Apostolic Church, Polish Orthodox Church, Macedonian Orthodox Church and the Greek ‘Old Calendarists’ did not accept the Revised Julian calendar, and continue to celebrate Christmas on 25 December. Unfortunately though, it is super complex when it comes to the rules that determine when a leap day is added.

Source: Ethiopian News January 07, 2021 03:22 UTC