Orthodox Christmas
Orthodox Christmas
 In Slovakia live more that 80 000 orthodox people
 On 6. January they celebrate the orthodox
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Christmas or the birth of
Jesus
This is according to the
Julian calendar
The most of orthodox
people are „Rusini“people who live in east
of the Slovakia
Greeting after Christmas day:"Christos
raždajetsja„(Christ is birthing) and "Slavime Jeho"
(Celebrate him).
Fasting before Christmas
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It is a tradition of the Eastern Christians to fast
Fasting is a spirutual preparation for Christmas
People fast for 40 days before Christmas
This time is refered to as Lent
It starts on 28. november
The significance of fasting is spiritual unity with
God and preparation for the celebration of the
birth of the Saviour
Lent was established so that
we are in repentance, fasting and
prayer, cleansed and pure of heart, so
we can embrace the Son of God
Why do people fast?
 Real fasting cannot be done without prayer,
repentance, people putting aside their hostility ,
without uprooting the evil in their lives.
 Fasting is not our goal,
but is way to tame your
body, passions and
how to cleanse from
sin.
 Fasting without prayer
and penance, becomes
only dieting
We cannot:
 During Lent people cannot eat meat or people
who are vegetarian abstain from something
different - what they usually like to eat
 We should fast from something
that we love e.g.:chocolate, coffee,
internet...
 We cannot go to discos or dance
and sing at home
 It is about restraint
 The fast finishes after Christmas
day- 7.January
Confession
 Orthodox Christians have two very important
confessions
before Christmas and
before Easter
 It is important because
we get rid of the sins so
that we might enjoy the
birth of Jesus with
clean heart
The Christmas dinner
 On the table there usually is about
7- 8 types of food
 All day is lent and people cannot
sample what they cooked
 Before the dinner all the family must wash
hands and face in the stream or well- it is
called purgatory
 By the table all the family must pray before
they start to eat the dinner
 It starts about 5 o clock
Traditional Dinner
 We start to eat bread with salt or wafers with
honey and garlic
 After this we continue with : cabbage soup
(without sausage),mushrooms,pies with
potatoes,bobaľky with poppy,vegatarian
salad,“pigeons“, and at the
end can be a fish
 On the table must be a
lots of fruit and sweets
(gingerbread)
Presents
 We have St. Nicholas Day too but it is 19.
december
 Children put their shoes
on a window and in the
morning they have in their
shoes sweets and fruit from
St. Nicholas
 On Christmas day is similar
only parents put gifts under
Christmas trees and early
morning you can open
Tradition
 On the table is a candle and after dinner we blow
out the candle and if the smoke rises straight
up nobody from this family will die this year
 Before dinner girls draw on
their forehead crosses
with honey to have boys love
them
 Cutting apples for healthy family
 Under the tablecloth family
members place money so the family will have
money in the future....and more
Holidays
 13 January is christening of the Lord
 People go to church to get Holy Water as this is
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the day the priest blesses it
It is to rememeber the chrtistening of Jesus in
the river Jordan
It a very important day
14 january is the start of the
New year for orthodox
christians
Happy Christmas