Have a merry Christmas next Tuesday! Wait, what?
Yes, that’s right: For some Eastern Orthodox churches, Christmas falls on Dec. 25 – next Tuesday. Wait, what again?
Yes, that’s right: While Christmas falls on Dec. 25, exactly when Dec. 25 falls depends on the calendar you are using.
In 2022, Fr. Gabriel Rochelle, retired pastor of St Anthony of the Desert Orthodox Mission in Las Cruces, explained it to Las Cruces Bulletin readers this way:
“Most of the Orthodox Christian world is on the ‘old’ calendar, which dates from the time of Julius Caesar. Before you snicker, the ‘new’ calendar was not exactly born yesterday. It dates from 1582 under the aegis of Pope Gregory XIII and is thus called the Gregorian calendar. The two calendars are 13 days apart in calculation, so Dec. 25th on the old calendar is Jan. 7 on our civil calendar.
“In the Eastern Church, the Church of Israel and Greece and Arabic lands which spread west to Rome and Celtic regions then into Slavic areas like Ukraine and Russia, the main festival at year’s turning is Theophany, called Epiphany in the West. It commemorates the Baptism of Christ at the hand of John the Forerunner.”
Theophany (aka Epiphany) falls on Jan. 6, and on Jan. 7 is the Synaxis of the Baptist, a feast day commemorating John the Forerunner.
St. Anthony of the Desert Orthodox Mission – which celebrated Christmas on Dec. 25 following Vespers and royal hours on Christmas Eve – is located at 8923 S. Main St. in Mesilla Park, south of Las Cruces and Mesilla. Further information including a schedule of services is available at StAnthonyLC.org.
