Merry Christmas! Russia has a strange history with Christmas, and it is reflected in its celebration. Back in 1920’s Christmas was outlawed in Russia. The Soviet regime sought to eradicate all the religious holidays, and it began a war on Christmas. Over the next 15 years Christmas was not celebrated, and its traditions were shunned. Then in 1935, in a strange reversal of fate, all the Christmas traditions such as the giving of gifts, the Christmas tree, Grandfather Frost (the Russian version of Santa Claus), and even the star atop the tree were brought back, but this time under the umbrella of the New Year’s celebration. That is how Russians got a New Year’s celebration that suspiciously looks a lot like Christmas. It is devoid of the Christian message, though.
Back in the 90’s Christmas made a comeback and even became the national holiday. However, the problem now is with the date. The Russian Orthodox Church observes the Julian calendar, while the rest of the country lives on the Gregorian one. This means that December 25 on the Julian calendar falls on January 7 on the Gregorian. Therefore, officially Christmas is celebrated on January 7th in Russia.
But apart from the official calendar, there are also business considerations. After all, it is one of the busier seasons for stores. That is why they begin decorating and preparing for Christmas in early November. The same can be said about cafes and restaurants. Thus, while officially Christmas is observed on January 7, one could say that Moscow goes all-out with Christmas decorations from the beginning of Advent.
All of this gives a great opportunity to remind people about the meaning of Christmas. As we invite our friends, neighbors, colleagues, and relatives for our Candlelight service, we tell them that they will have a chance to hear and sing all those Christmas carols they’ve been hearing during the last month or so in cafes across the city. But what is even more important, they will get a chance to find out how Christmas offers them the greatest gift of their life if they only accept it.
So how are you going to celebrate Christmas? What are your cherished Christmas traditions?
Yours in praying and hastening the day of revival in Moscow and Russia,
Constantin and Alexandra
PS Back on Thanksgiving I shared with you a Thanksgiving eCard. The feedback was very positive so I decided to provide a unique and free Christmas eCard for your personal use. You can download an image or a printable PDF file. And to answer those questions back from Thanksgiving, yes both paintings were done by my father.
THREE THINGS TO PRAY FOR:
Please join us in praying for God:
- To bring peace to Ukraine and Russia. Moreover, ask God to use this conflict by bringing reconciliation and revival to both countries.
- To bless our Candlelight service tonight with many newcomers who will stay, commit to the Lord, and join the church as a result of it. Our candlelight service during Christmas Eve is one of the best opportunities to invite our friends, relatives, neighbors, and colleagues to church. Every year it is a huge hit. Just about everyone in our church knows what a great opportunity it is and is striving to take advantage of it. However, I do not take it for granted that this church service will be well attended this year. It would be great to see God use this service not only to bring people to church for the first time, but also to bring these people into a loving and saving relationship with Himself.
- To provide the necessary resources for us to finish up remodeling our new place. We have moved in, but have not been able to purchase and install a coat closet for the entryway, book shelves, or shelves for the closet
