Orthodox Christmas 2027
January 7 or December 25 — why there are two dates, and which one is yours.
Orthodox Christians celebrate the Nativity of Christ on December 25 — but not all of them on the same civil day. Churches that keep the Julian (Old) Calendar celebrate December 25 O.S., which falls on January 7, 2027 in the civil calendar. Churches on the Revised Julian (New) Calendar celebrate on December 25, 2026 alongside the West.
Orthodox Christmas 2027 dates
- Thursday, January 7, 2027 — Russian, Serbian, Georgian, Jerusalem, Macedonian, Ukrainian (UOC) and Athonite communities on the Julian calendar.
- Friday, December 25, 2026 — Greek, Antiochian, Romanian, Bulgarian, Albanian, OCA and most New Calendar parishes.
- Coptic and Ethiopian Orthodox keep Nativity on Koiak 29 / Tahsas 29, which corresponds to January 7, 2027.
The Nativity Fast
Christmas is preceded by a forty-day fast (the Nativity Fast, or Philip's Fast) beginning November 15 — November 28 in the civil calendar for Old Calendar Churches. Meat, dairy and eggs are set aside; fish is permitted on many days until the last stretch of the fast, which is kept more strictly.
The fast ends with the Nativity Vigil on Christmas Eve. In Slavic practice nothing is eaten until the first star appears, and the meal that follows — Sviat Vechir or Badnje Veče — is still Lenten: kutia, twelve meatless dishes, and no dairy.
The services
- Royal Hours and Vespers with the Liturgy of St Basil on Christmas Eve.
- Great Compline with the Nativity Vigil, chanting 'God is with us'.
- Matins and the Divine Liturgy of the Nativity, with the troparion 'Thy Nativity, O Christ our God, hath shone upon the world the light of knowledge'.
- The twelve days of the Afterfeast, ending at Theophany (January 19 Old Calendar / January 6 New Calendar).
Christmas in Canada
Canadian Orthodox parishes reflect both calendars. Ukrainian, Russian and Serbian communities in Toronto, Winnipeg, Edmonton and Montreal have historically kept January 7, though since 2023 many Ukrainian parishes have moved to December 25. Greek, Antiochian and OCA parishes keep December 25. If you are visiting a parish, check its own calendar before you travel.
Frequently asked
- Why is Orthodox Christmas on January 7?
- It is still December 25 — but of the Julian calendar, which now runs thirteen days behind the civil Gregorian calendar. The feast has not moved; the civil calendar has.
- Is Orthodox Christmas 2027 a fasting day?
- No. The fast ends with the feast. Christmas Eve, January 6, 2027, is a strict fast day; the Nativity itself is fast-free, and the days after it are fast-free through to Theophany Eve.
- Will all Orthodox Churches eventually share one date?
- There is no agreement yet. The Julian and Revised Julian calendars have coexisted since 1924, and both are canonical.