The Orthodox Christian Church follows the Julian calendar for religious celebrations, which means that Christmas is celebrated on a different date than most Western Christian denominations.
Most Orthodox Churches, including the Greek Orthodox, Russian Orthodox, Serbian Orthodox, and others, celebrate Christmas on January 7th of the Gregorian calendar. This date corresponds to December 25th in the Julian calendar.
The discrepancy in dates is due to the difference between the Julian and Gregorian calendars. While much of the Western world shifted to the Gregorian calendar in the 16th century to correct inaccuracies in the Julian calendar, many Eastern Orthodox Churches continued to use the Julian calendar for liturgical purposes. As a result, Orthodox Christmas falls 13 days later than Christmas in many Western Christian traditions.
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