Public holiday in Russia
Orthodox Christmas Holiday in Russia
Thursday, January 8, 2026
Nationwide public holiday
Orthodox Christmas Holiday in Russia is the two-day public holiday period around Orthodox Christmas, observed nationwide on 7 and 8 January. It follows the church feast of the Nativity of Christ and gives many people a midwinter break after New Year celebrations.
About Orthodox Christmas Holiday in Russia
In Russia, Orthodox Christmas Holiday is a nationwide public-holiday period linked to the Orthodox Christian celebration of the Nativity. It comes immediately after the New Year holiday period and gives the calendar an extended pause in early January, which many people use for family time and travel. The holiday is relevant well beyond church attendance. In a country where the Orthodox calendar remains culturally familiar even for many non-churchgoers, the days around Christmas are treated as part of the winter holiday season rather than an ordinary work stretch. Because it falls in the first week of January, it also sits next to other major public holidays, shaping how the first part of the month is planned.
History
Orthodox Christmas in Russia follows the Julian-calendar date used by the Russian Orthodox Church, which places the feast on 7 January in the modern civil calendar. After the Soviet period, the January holiday period was reshaped, and Orthodox Christmas returned to broad public observance as a national holiday period in post-Soviet Russia.
Traditions
Common Russian Orthodox Christmas traditions include attending a night or early-morning church service, especially the festive liturgy associated with the feast. At home, people may gather for a family meal after the fast period that precedes Christmas in the Orthodox tradition. In many families, the holiday is associated with quiet time, visiting relatives and exchanging greetings rather than large public festivities.
How Orthodox Christmas Holiday is celebrated in Russia
In contemporary Russia, the holiday is usually marked by a very low-key public atmosphere compared with New Year. Many people stay home, visit relatives or attend church services, while the surrounding January break makes travel and extended family visits common. Because the holiday sits in the middle of the winter school-and-work pause, the practical effect is often simply time off and a slower pace in cities and towns.
Interesting facts
The holiday period in the supplied calendar is resolved as nationwide and spans two public-holiday dates in 2026: 7 January and 8 January. In Russia, Orthodox Christmas is observed on the date used by the Russian Orthodox Church rather than the Gregorian Christmas date followed in many other countries.
Dates in published calendars
Import sources
- Generic ICS feed
An import is not an independent verification.