Ortohodox Christmas: The celebration continues

By Lethbridge Herald on January 7, 2026.

Herald photo by JOe manio While the adults attend the service inside the sancturay, children immerse themselves in creative activities outside during Orthodox Christmas Day Wednesday at Dormition of the Holy Theotokos Orthodox Church.

By Joe Manio

Lethbridge Herald- Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Orthodox Christmas, or the Nativity of Jesus, is celebrated on Jan. 7 by many Eastern Orthodox churches that follow the Julian calendar rather than the Gregorian calendar used by most Canadians. For Orthodox Christian communities the later date means the holiday season stretches into January — and the decorations can stay up a little longer.

In Lethbridge members of the Orthodox Christian community, including the Dormition of the Holy Theotokos Orthodox Church, marked the occasion Wednesday morning with a church service followed by a traditional Christmas brunch, continuing customs that have been passed down for generations.

“The majority of orthodox Christians are still on the Julian calendar, and so we don’t argue whether Christmas is January 27th or December 25th,” says parish priest Father John Rosner. “What we argue about is which day is January 7th, and which day is December 25th.”

Orthodox Christians celebrate Christmas on Jan. 7 because many churches still follow the Julian calendar, which is 13 days behind the Gregorian calendar used by most of the world. The tradition dates back centuries, long before Western churches adopted the Gregorian calendar in the 16th century.

“Nobody really understands the differences between the Julian and the Gregorian Calendars because we’re not taught any of that,” says Subdeacon Gabriel Sept. “So when people hear about (Orthodox Christmas) they’re confused and so it takes a little bit of explanation.”

The Nativity of Jesus commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ in Bethlehem and is a central event in the Christian faith. Celebrated at Christmas, it marks the belief that Jesus was born to Mary and is regarded by Christians as the Son of God, according to the New Testament.

“It’s the feast day of Christ — his birth, his taking on human nature in what we call the Incarnation,” said Father Rosner.

Because Orthodox Christmas falls on Jan. 7 it is often celebrated with less of the commercial fanfare that marks and surrounds Dec. 25 in much of Canada, allowing more focus on the religious origins and meaning of the holiday.

“Orthodox Christmas makes the season last longer and that’s really nice,” says congregation member Laura Edwards. “The malls have calmed down and everything is kind of over…so it sets your mind on Jesus.”

The Orthodox Church is one of the oldest Christian traditions, tracing its roots to the early Christian church. It is made up of a family of self-governing churches, including Greek, Russian and Ukrainian Orthodox churches, that share the same core beliefs, liturgy and sacraments and are led by bishops rather than a single central authority.

Lethbridge has two established Orthodox communities: Dormition of the Holy Theotokos Orthodox Church and Holy Trinity Ukrainian Orthodox Church.

Dormition of the Holy Theotokos Orthodox Church is a parish of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia (ROCOR) serving local Orthodox Christians with regular services in Lethbridge.

Holy Trinity Ukrainian Orthodox Church is a multi-ethnic parish of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Canada, and part of the wider Orthodox communion; with Divine Liturgy and other services for the Orthodox community.

For those who follow the Orthodox calendar there’s still time to leave the tinsel up and the lights twinkling…at least until Jan. 8. After that even the most devoted holiday decorators might finally admit it’s time to pack away the trees, wreathes, pinecones and fake snow until next year.