Orthodox Christians start celebrating Christmas
Tashkent, Uzbekistan: Millions of orthodox Christians mostly living in Central Asia and Eastern Europe start celebrating Christmas.
Orthodox churches in Central Asia and Eastern Europe use the Julian calendar that was created under the reign of Julius Caesar in 45 BC. Orthodox Christians do not follow Gregorian calendar for celebrating their religious events.
There are 13 days in difference between the two calendars this year (2015). “December 25 on the Julian calendar actually falls on January 7 of Gregorian calendar in 2015 otherwise date is January 6 of Gregorian
Eastern Orthodox national churches, including in Central Asia, Eastern Europe (including Russia, Armenia, Moldova, Georgia, Ukraine), Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, and the Greek Patriarchate of Jerusalem mark feasts using the older Julian calendar.
However, other Orthodox Christians including Bulgaria, Greece, Romania, Antioch, Alexandria, Albania, Finland, and the Orthodox Church in America began using the Revised Julian calendar in the early 20th century when Americans Orthodox Christians decided to shift from Julian calendar to Gregorian calendar.
A typical Orthodox Christmas table offers a variety of pork (roasted pig), stuffed pig’s head, roasted meat chunks, jelly, aspic. Christmas dinner are served on many other meats: goose with apples, sour cream hare, venison, lamb, whole fish, etc. The abundance of lumpy fried and baked meats, whole baked chicken and fish on the festive table is associated with features of Eastern European families.
Popular foods including Central Asian families include meat cooked in pots with semi-traditional porridge, cheesecake, rolls, cakes, balls, pie, Kurnik, boats, saechki, pies, shangi, cooked casseroles, pancakes, fillings of herbal, vegetable, fruit, mushrooms, beef and fish.
Sweet dishes served on Christmas table include berries, fruit, candy, cakes, firewood, biscuits, honey and broths.
