07:00, 7 January 2012

Orthodox believers of Southern Russia and Southern Caucasus celebrate Christmas

At night on January 7, Orthodox believers have celebrated one of the major religious holidays – the Christmas. Many regions of the Southern and North-Caucasian Federal Districts (SFD and NCFD) and in the regions of Transcaucasia held Christmas services.

In Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh, the Armenian Apostolic Church celebrated the birth of Christ on January 6 at the same time with Baptism under the united name of Epiphany.

On January 6, the Russian and Georgian Local Churches celebrated the Christmas Eve.

At night on January 7, the festive Christmas services are held in several hundreds of Orthodox Churches of Moscow and in tens of thousands of Orthodox Churches around the world.

At night on January 7, the Christmas is marked by believers of the Russian and Georgian Orthodox churches, and parishioners of the Serbian and Jerusalem Churches. From this day on until the Epiphany (or Twelfthtide, on January 19), Orthodox believers have their Christmastide.