One of the biggest church holidays in the whole year is the Nativity of Christ. It was on this day that the Son of God, Jesus Christ, was born. This greatest day is celebrated by all Christian countries of the world. But the celebration of Christmas among Catholics and Orthodox falls on different days.
So, Catholics celebrate Christmas on December 25, but the Orthodox, on January 7. That is, the difference in celebration is thirteen days. Why is this happening, let's try to figure it out now, referring to one of the oldest sciences - history.
Why Catholics celebrate Christmas on December 25 and Orthodox Christians on January 7: the history of the emergence of the holiday
The appearance and establishment of this holiday dates back to the beginning of our era and is of a purely religious nature. Although, the exact date of the appearance of the holiday is unknown. It is only known that it appeared in the form that we celebrate now, only in the fourth century.
Until this time, with the advent of Christianity, and it appeared as a religion in the second century, the celebration took place on January 6, and was combined with the feast of the Epiphany. And only at the beginning of the fourth century, these holidays were separated. And from that moment on, the celebration of Christmas was postponed to December 25th.
Christmas is one of the most popular holidays in the world. Moreover, it is celebrated even by those countries that do not profess Christianity. So, for example, in Asian countries, Christmas has long been rooted, although they are not Christians. But this holiday is of a family and religious nature. And in some I even celebrate it as Valentine's Day.
As for our country, the holiday of Christmas has a special meaning for us. After all, it was from the day of the birth of Jesus Christ that a connection was established between God and people.
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Why Catholics celebrate Christmas on December 25 and Orthodox Christians on January 7: the history of the schism
Despite the fact that the Orthodox and Catholics celebrate Christmas on different days, nevertheless, in fact, they celebrate the same holiday, but there is no special unity in the Orthodox Church and the Catholic Church. This was not always the case, though.
Officially, each of us, even from school, studying a course in history, knows that the split of the Christian church took place back in 1054. It was then that two movements appeared, Orthodoxy and Catholicism.
According to some reports, the reason for this split was the disagreement between the Western and Eastern churches in reverence for the Holy Spirit. Thus, the Western Church believes that the Holy Spirit comes from the Father and the Son, but the Eastern believes that only from the Father.
Why Catholics celebrate Christmas on December 25 and Orthodox Christians on January 7: the history of the schism
But historians find other reasons for such a split and at the same time argue that such a split appeared much earlier, but did not have official confirmation.
First of all, these are political reasons. After all, Rome and Constantinople lived on completely different principles and had completely different traditions and mentality. To all this was added the struggle for power. But be that as it may, nevertheless in 1054 there was an official split of the church into Catholic and Orthodox.
Moreover, each church proclaimed anathema to each other. And after a few centuries, another split will occur, and another branch will arise - Protestantism.
Why Catholics celebrate Christmas on December 25 and Orthodox Christians on January 7: the difference in traditions
After the Christian Church split into Orthodoxy and Catholicism, its own traditions began to be established. Already some time after the split, a huge abyss began to be seen.
In addition to disagreements in the doctrine of the Holy Trinity, Catholics and Orthodox have many other controversial issues. So, for example, among Catholics, the Pope is the head of the church, and at the same time he never makes mistakes in anything. And in the Orthodox Church, the head is the patriarch, and no longer possesses such power.
Another contradiction is the fact that the conception of the Virgin Mary is considered immaculate by Catholics, and vice versa in Orthodoxy. Also, the Catholics have purgatory, the Orthodox do not.
Why do Catholics celebrate Christmas on December 25 and Orthodox Christians on January 7: a late calendar
Before the split of the Christian church, Christmas was celebrated on December 25, which was established in the fourth century. In those days, the whole world still lived according to the Julian calendar. And although it was the best in previous calendars, it still had its own inaccuracies.
The main inaccuracy was that once every 128 years, one day fell out. For this reason, by the sixteenth century the difference was palpable. It even got to the point that Easter could fall on different days of the week.
In this regard, the Pope, Gregory 13 decided to reform. And already in 1582, Europe switched to a new calendar, the Gregorian. But our country, until 1917, still used the Julian calendar. And from this year Russia switched to the Gregorian.
Nevertheless, the Orthodox Church, despite the pressure from Europe, refused to switch to the Gregorian calendar. That is why there was a difference in the celebration of 13 days.
EVGENIYA OLKHOVIK
