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Dec 26, 2009 · December 26, 2009. The Twelve Days of Christmas in the Orthodox Church. By John Sanidopoulos. The Twelve Days of Christmas, known in Greek as Dodekaemeron ("Twelve Day"), are a festive period linking together two Great Feasts of the Lord: the Nativity and Theophany. During this period one celebration leads into another.
- History
- Once Christmas Arrives
- The Baptism of Our Lord
- The Twelve Days of Christmas
As they designated dates to commemorate events in Jesus’ life, the early Christian Church selected January 6 as the date to observe both the birth and baptism of Christ. In the early 4th century it was felt by the church leadership that a distinction should be made between the two observances. They selected Dec 25 to be the date to celebrate the bi...
Our Orthodox Church today celebrates highly and with great festivity and joy! Once Christmas arrives on December 25, we enter a new liturgical period. The major period runs 40 days, from Jesus' Birth to His 40 day Presentation to the Temple(Feb 2). Within these 40 days is some sub-division. From December 25 to January 6, there became a 12-day perio...
In the Orthodox Church January 6 is officially called the Baptism of our Lord – Theophany (sometimes called simply Epiphany). Theophany means “God’s appearance” and Epiphany simply “appearance”. On the day of Jesus’ baptism, the Holy Trinity was made manifest with the appearance of the dove and the voice that was heard from the sky (Matt 3:13 – 17)...
These 12 days that comprise the “12 days of Christmas” also include other observances on various levels. The first level are events that are directly associated to Christ’s birth in the flesh, including the murder of the 14,000 baby boys that Herod ordered when Jesus was born (December 29) and the 8-day naming of Jesus (January 1). A second level o...
Jan 6, 2023 · For much of the Western world, Christmas is celebrated on December 25, according to the Gregorian calendar. Yet in a distinction that dates back centuries, Orthodox Christians follow the...
Christmas celebrations in Greece officially last for 14 days, starting on Christmas Eve and ending on Epiphany (6 January) with the ‘Great Blessing of Water’. Following the Gregorian calendar, the Greek Orthodox Church celebrates Christmas on 25 December.
Jan 5, 2024 · Churches in the Greek and Antiochian traditions, along with the Orthodox Church in America, observed Christmas on Dec. 25. Some churches in the Slavic tradition, including Serbian and smaller...
Dec 23, 2013 · In the Christian tradition of both east and west, the twelve days of Christmas refer to the period from Christmas Day to Theophany. The days leading up to Christmas were for preparation; a practice affirmed in the Orthodox tradition by the Christmas fast that runs from November 15 to Christmas day. The celebration of Christmas did not begin ...
Dec 23, 2011 · On the Greek Orthodox calendar, Christmas may rank second to Easter in the holiday stakes, but Christmas is still met with high anticipation and unique traditions to celebrate the festive...
