Christmas cookies

When Christmas is Celebrated Many people think Christmas is on December the 25th and that’s all there is to Christmas. However, for many people around the world, in different countries and in different Christian traditions, Christmas lasts for a lot longer than that – and it’s even celebrated christmas cookies different times! Christians remember that Jesus died and then came back to life. So we get the name Christ-Mass, shortened to Christmas.

Christmas, there are some other dates as well! Orthodox Churches in Russia, Serbia, Jerusalem, Ukraine and other countries use the old ‘Julian’ calendar and people in those churches celebrate Christmas on January 7th. The Coptic Orthodox Church celebrates Christmas on January 7th. Most people in the Greek Orthodox Church celebrate Christmas on December 25th. But some still use the Julian calendar and so celebrate Christmas on 7th January!

Some Greek Catholics also celebrate on January 7th. The Armenian Apostolic Church celebrates Christmas on January 6th. It also celebrates Epiphany on this day. Advent is normally a period of four Sundays and weeks before Christmas. In many Orthodox and Eastern Catholics Churches Advent lasts for 40 days, starting on November 15th. In Orthodox Churches which celebrate Christmas on 7th January, Advent start on 28th November! The types of food people give up depends on their church tradition and where in the world they live.

Christmas Day and lasted for 12 Days – so they were known as The 12 Days of Christmas! The celebrations finished on the evening of 5th January, which is better known as Twelfth Night. Throughout history, the 12 Days of Christmas were a time of feasting and fun. Baptism of Jesus when he was an adult. Twelfth Night is also the time when it was traditional to take your Christmas decorations down – although some people leave them up until Candlemas. Christians remember the time when Mary and Joseph took the baby Jesus to the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem to give thanks to God for giving them a son.