Continuous News

Orthodox Christians Celebrating Christmas This Week

Posted: Jan 5, 2013 4:35 PM by Jonathan Kershaw

You may have already put away the Christmas tree and decorations but for some people across the world, Christmas has yet to begin.

One of the largest established denominations, the Orthodox Christians, still follow the Julian calendar as opposed to the almost universally adapted Gregorian calendar. This means that for them, Christmas actually starts on Monday. Starting tomorrow at the Holy Trinity Serbian Orthodox Church at 2100 Continental Drive in Butte, there will be three days of Christmas services, one at 10 am and one at 5:30 pm and a whole week of feasting. And anyone is welcome to attend.

"We'll probably worship for two straight solid hours, and just launch right into that," says Father Radioicich. "Then on Christmas Eve we'll have a social out here were we burn a yule log. Then on Christmas day we'll worship for another two hours, that'll be a communion service were we're joined to the Christ Child in communion."

The Gregorian calendar was adopted worldwide in 1923, because the Julian calendar would lose one day every 150 years.