Orthodox Christmas:

January 7th is Christmas Day for the Eastern Catholic Churches and Orthodox Churches that follow the Julian calendar.

It is celebrated in the Middle East, and also by the Greek-Ukrainian Catholic Church and the Orthodox Christians living in Russia, Belarus, Serbia, Croatia, Macedonia, and others.

The situation is particular in Egypt, where Catholics in Cairo and Alexandria, along with their provinces, have already celebrated the birth of Jesus on December 25th, while those living in Upper Egypt celebrate on January 7th, together with the Orthodox.

In 1582, Pope Gregory XIII decided to modify the old calendar introduced by Julius Caesar, named in his honor the Julian calendar.

For this reason, the days between October 5th and 14th, 1582, were canceled, and thus our December 25th became January 7th.

Some Orthodox however, chose not to adapt to the change: in Greece, for example, Christmas coincides with the Catholic one.