Why do Orthodox Christians have a different calendar?

Because the Russian Orthodox Church still observes the Julian calendar. Because the Julian calendar has a leap year in all years divisible by four—without excepting centurial years not divisible by 400, the way the Gregorian calendar does—the discrepancy between the Julian and Gregorian calendar changes periodically.

Who made the Orthodox calendar?

scientist Milutin Milanković
The Revised Julian calendar, also known as the Milanković calendar, or, less formally, new calendar, is a calendar proposed by the Serbian scientist Milutin Milanković in 1923, which effectively discontinued the 340 years of divergence between the naming of dates sanctioned by those Eastern Orthodox churches adopting …

Which Orthodox churches use Gregorian calendar?

The Indian Orthodox Church uses the Gregorian calendar along with their autonomous Syriac Orthodox counterparts in India, the Malankara Jacobite Syriac Orthodox Church.

What holidays do Orthodox Christians celebrate?

Easter and Christmas. Orthodox Christians celebrate the two main Christian holidays: Easter and Christmas. However, there is one difference; the Orthodox Easter tends to be celebrated a couple of days after the other branches of Christianity celebrate it.

Why do Orthodox Christians celebrate Christmas?

Many Orthodox Christians annually celebrate Christmas Day on or near January 7 to remember Jesus Christ’s birth , described in the Christian Bible. This date works to the Julian calendar that pre-dates the Gregorian calendar, which is commonly observed. Some Orthodox Christians visit a church to pray or reflect on inner thoughts in the lead up to the Orthodox Christmas Day.

What date do Orthodox Christians celebrate Christmas?

Orthodox Christians celebrate Christmas on January 7 – which is today! The celebrations in Orthodox countries began midnight on ‘Christmas Eve’, by which we mean January 6, 2019. The reason these dates vary so much from what we know as Christmas is down to a difference in calendars.

How does the Orthodox Church celebrate Christmas?

Orthodox churches celebrate Christmas Day with various traditions. For example, many churches light a small fire of blessed palms and burn frankincense to commemorate the three wise men’s (also known as Magi) gifts to baby Jesus. Some parishes have joint celebrations for Christmas Day.