We tell you when people celebrate Christmas in different parts of the world.
According to the new calendar, which the OCU switched to on September 1, 2023, the Nativity of Christ must be celebrated today, December 25. However, this tradition does not affect all Ukrainians – many prefer to celebrate the holiday on January 7th. found out who in the world celebrates Christmas on December 25, except for Ukraine.
Who celebrates Christmas on December 25 – list
According to the New Julian or Gregorian calendar, Christmas is celebrated in those countries where predominantly Catholics, Protestants, Orthodox Christians and representatives of other Christian denominations live, who believe that the savior of mankind was born on December 25th.
Some countries establish a public holiday on this date, others do not, preferring to treat the holiday as a quiet family celebration.
Christmas is celebrated on December 25 in 46 countries, and some (like Belarus, Eritrea and Moldova) celebrate the holiday on both dates, celebrating Christmas on January 7 and December 25. Interestingly, weekends are distributed differently:
- Closed only on December 25 – Austria, Argentina, Belgium, Bolivia, Brazil, Greece, Jordan, Ireland, Spain, Cuba, Lebanon, Mexico, Myanmar, Portugal, South Korea, France, Croatia, Eritrea, Moldova, Belarus.
- Closed on December 24 and 25 – Venezuela, Luxembourg.
- Closed on December 25 and 26 – Australia, UK, Hungary, Germany, Denmark, Canada, Guyana, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Romania, USA, Suriname, Sweden
- Weekend 24, 25, 26 December – Bulgaria, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Slovakia, Finland, Czech Republic, Estonia.
Thus, it turns out that these countries that use the Gregorian or New Julian calendar and celebrate Christmas on December 25th become the absolute majority compared to those who believe that Jesus was born in January.
Who celebrates Christmas on the 7th
The list of which countries celebrate Christmas according to the Julian calendar is quite small. These include:
- Georgia
- Egypt
- Russia
- Kazakhstan
- Kyrgyzstan
- North Macedonia
- Serbia
- Ethiopia
- Eritrea
- Belarus
- Moldova
- Montenegro.
Moreover, residents of the first eight countries on the list can only get 1 day off (January 7), residents of Moldova have a rest for two days – January 7 and 8, and residents of Montenegro are the luckiest – they have as many as 3 days off – January 6, 7 and 8.
