Christmas and New Year in Belarus

Remember your childhood when you got a present from the Christmas Man, from Santa Claus? I guess you do, but do you still get it? Well, check out Belarus! In this country, the people don’t just celebrate Christmas once, but two times!

How is that possible?

In most parts of the world, people live in accordance with the Gregorian calendar. However, the Orthodox Church adheres still to an older one, the Julian calendar, and herein lies the reason that there’s a 13-day delay in celebrating all holidays.

In Belarus, most people are Orthodox Christians though there’s also a significant share of Protestants and Roman Catholics. In Belarus, key religious holidays such as Easter and Christmas are designated non-working days in official calendars and the people have the liberty to choose which day they choose for their celebration.

The Belarussian ritual of Christmas is closely connected with Kalyday, the famous folk holiday, where people not only go to church but also observe various rituals of pagan origin, and both traditions were fused into one single fest.

Well, I’m telling you that, even if you understand English Grammar Rules pretty well, understanding the Belarus language, the country’s rituals, traditions, language, history, religious beliefs, and festivities, may get pretty challenging, wouldn’t you agree?

Read more