Top 10 Countries That Celebrate Christmas in January

Christmas is one of the most celebrated events or festivals in the world, as it attracts over 2 billion observer Christians and some non-Christians who have also adopted the holiday celebration.

While the celebration atmosphere often spans throughout the December period, the main holiday and celebration starts from the 24th to the 26th of December. This is a generally accepted and adopted date by so many countries around the world. However, some countries celebrate Christmas in January, and some countries don’t even celebrate Christmas at all.

Orthodox Christians in central and eastern Europe and other parts of the world celebrate Christmas on January 7. The Christmas dates around January 7 may vary among some churches. The day has been dubbed as a time of reflection, inner thoughts, and healing in many Eastern European countries.

Christmas on January 7th is also known as Old Christmas Day. Eleven days were dropped to accommodate the calendar discrepancy that accumulated with the Julian calendar when England and Scotland converted from the Julian to the Gregorian calendar in 1752. Many people, especially in rural areas, did not accept the loss of these 11 days and preferred to use the Julian calendar.

Many Orthodox Churches recognize the holidays according to the Julian calendar. Christmas is still December 25th in the Julian calendar, so the January 7th date is only valid between 1901 and 2100. The Gregorian date for Orthodox Christmas will be January 8, 2101, if the Julian calendar is still in use.

Below is the table containing the list of countries that celebrate Christmas in January.

1. Russia

During the Soviet era, Russians did not celebrate Christmas openly, but since the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991, the orthodox faith has had a resurgence and Christmas is now celebrated again, albeit as a holdover from a time when religious celebrations were not allowed. New Year’s is a big event while Christmas is a smaller festival.

Meanwhile, the Christmas day traditions include a hearty meal of roast meat and stuffed dumplings – pierogi – and gingerbread for dessert. The Russian equivalent of Santa Claus, Grandfather Frost brings gifts to children, but at New Year’s rather than Christmas.

Many countries in Europe aside from Russia celebrate their Christmas in January mostly on the 7th, but some celebrate theirs on the 6th of January, this includes Italy which tagged it the day of Epiphany. Russia is not among the countries that celebrate Christmas in January, they also take the lead in this list.

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2. Egypt

In Egypt about 15% of the people are Christians. They are the only part of the population that really celebrates Christmas as a religious festival. Most Egyptian Christians belong to the Coptic Orthodox Church and they have some very unique traditions for Christmas.

Christmas Day isn’t always celebrated on the 25th of December however on the 7th of January. For the 43 days before Christmas (introduction), from 25th November to 6th January, Coptic Orthodox Christians have a special fast in which they basically eat a vegan diet. They don’t consume anything containing merchandise that comes from animals (including hens, beef, milk, and eggs).

3. Ukraine

For the Orthodox majority who observe the Julian calendar, Christmas falls on 7 January. Meanwhile, for the Ukrainians who are Catholic, and a growing number of Western-inclined agnostics, Christmas instead arrives on 25 December.

Traditional Ukrainian Christmas fests start on Christmas Eve, which is celebrated on 6 January, as reckoned by the Julian calendar. The Christmas fests end on 19 January, the date of the festivity of the Baptism of Jesus, known in Ukraine as Yordan.

4. Ethiopia

Ethiopia is another country in Africa aside from Egypt that celebrates Christmas in January. It is yet another country where orthodox Christianity is the predominant faith, awaits you with a singular combination of ancient religious sites and mesmerizing landscapes. Christmas in this country is rooted in long-standing customs, and Lalibela, where 13 magnificent rock-hewn churches have been carved out of cliffs, is the best place to witness them for yourself.

Christmas Eve, which falls on January 6, is the height of religious fervor. All day long, people worship, chant, sway, and celebrate in and around the churches. On January 7, the festivities come to an end at dawn when Orthodox Christians return home to continue the celebrations, and the pilgrims start to disperse.

5. Kazakhstan

Kazakhstan is primarily a Muslim nation, but there is a small community of Orthodox Christians who like to observe Christmas on January 7th every year. For many devout Kazakh Christians, the first step is to start a fast 40 days in advance, abstaining from meat and occasionally other food groups until the first star appears on January 6.

The country in Central Asia is one of the countries that celebrate Christmas in January.

6. Georgia

A key component of a traditional Georgian Christmas is the Alilo procession, which involves all parishioners dressing up and parading through the streets while spectators pass out candy to children.

The congregation celebrates the birth of Christ during the lengthy church services on Christmas Eve, which can last until 4 am, before going home to rest up for the celebrations.

7. Macedonia

The celebration of Christmas, which starts on Christmas Eve, the day before Christmas, is very important to the Macedonians. Christmas Eve and Christmas Day are observed in Macedonia on January 6 and 7, respectively, in contrast to most of the rest of the world. This is because the Macedonian Orthodox Church uses the 14-day-ahead Julian calendar.

8. Moldova

Christmas is unquestionably the most important religious holiday in Western culture. The situation is a little different in Moldova, where Easter is typically regarded as the major religious holiday. The fact that Christmas and New Year’s fall so close to one another and blend while most people prefer to celebrate New Year’s Day may be one explanation. This does not imply, however, that Moldovan culture does not show proper respect for Christmas traditions.

Moldova is an Orthodox nation, and as such, it celebrates Christmas on the evening of January 6 through January 7. One of the most popular customs is decorating the Christmas tree, though in Moldova most people do so on New Year’s Eve and some even refer to it as the New Year Tree. Additionally, Santa Claus’ gifts are sometimes referred to as New Year gifts rather than Christmas gifts. The custom of singing carols at Christmas is distinctive to Moldova. Moldova is one of the countries that celebrate Christmas in January.

9. Montenegro

You might find it interesting to know that Montenegro celebrates Christmas Eve on January 6 and Christmas Day on January 7. This is because the local Orthodox Churches continue to use the Julian Calendar.

Additionally, of the reasons this is, is because the Orthodox Church celebrates Advent, which starts on November 28 and lasts for the following six weeks. Many Orthodox Christians observe a fast during this holiday, refraining from consuming any milk, meat, or eggs.

Because Serbia and Montenegro share a common culture, you can celebrate Christmas in both countries in a largely similar manner. Montenegro is one of the countries that celebrate Christmas in January and this year’s Christmas and its eve will be on January 6th and 7th respectively.

10. Armenia

Armenia celebrates Christmas in January, much like other countries that used to be a part of the Soviet Union, though this year it falls on the sixth rather than the seventh. Given that Armenia is one of the oldest Christian countries in the world and that religious expression was outlawed for 70 years under Soviet rule, it didn’t take long for long-standing Christmas customs to return.

It has remained one of the countries that celebrate Christmas in January in the world and one of the top Christians dominated countries in Asia that observe Christmas in January and the only country that observe it on the 6th rather than the conventional Orthodox Christmas which is the 6th and 7th of January for Christmas eve and Christmas day respectively.

Countries That Celebrate Christmas in January

Here is a quick summary of the list of countries whose Christmas celebration falls in January every year:

1. Russia
2. Egypt
3. Ukraine
4. Ethiopia
5. Kazakhstan
6. Georgia
7. Macedonia
8. Moldova
9. Montenegro
10. Armenia