The Antiochian Orthodox Church uses the Gregorian calendar for fixed feasts like Christmas and Theophany. We celebrate Christmas on December 25, just like Western Christians do.
But you’ll notice something odd if you visit other Orthodox parishes around Beaumont. Some celebrate Christmas on January 7. They’re not using a different date, they’re using a different calendar.
Here’s what’s going on. The Julian calendar was created by Julius Caesar in 45 BC. It assumes a year is exactly 365.25 days long, so it adds a leap day every four years. Simple enough. But it’s slightly off. Over centuries, the Julian calendar drifts from the actual solar year by about one day every 128 years.
By 1582, this drift had become a problem for calculating Easter in the West. Pope Gregory XIII introduced a new calendar that skips leap years in most century years (1700, 1800, 1900) unless they’re divisible by 400. This Gregorian calendar is more accurate. It’s what your phone uses. It’s what the civil world runs on.
The Julian calendar is now 13 days behind the Gregorian. So when someone on the Julian calendar celebrates Christmas on December 25 according to their calendar, it’s January 7 on ours.
Why different Orthodox churches use different calendars
All Orthodox churches originally used the Julian calendar. The First Ecumenical Council at Nicaea in 325 AD established rules for calculating Pascha (Easter) based on the Julian calendar. For over 1,500 years, that’s what everyone used.
In 1923, Patriarch Meletios IV of Constantinople called a council to consider calendar reform. Some Orthodox churches adopted what’s called the Revised Julian calendar (which matches the Gregorian for fixed feasts). The Greek Archdiocese did. The Orthodox Church in America eventually did.
The Antiochian Patriarchate rejected this change. Not because we’re opposed to accuracy or modernity, but because the 1923 council wasn’t representative. Major churches like Jerusalem, Moscow, and Alexandria sent no delegates. The meeting happened during political chaos in Greece and Turkey. Many argued that only a full Ecumenical Council could change canons established at Nicaea.
But here’s the thing. Over time, the Antiochian Church did adopt the Gregorian calendar for fixed feasts anyway. We just did it on our own terms, not because Constantinople told us to. It’s a practical decision. We live in societies that run on the Gregorian calendar. Celebrating Christmas on December 25 (Gregorian) means our kids aren’t in school, refineries are shut down, and families can actually gather.
Some Orthodox jurisdictions kept the Julian calendar entirely. The Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia does. Some monasteries do. They’re often called “Old Calendar” Orthodox. They’re not schismatic (usually). They’re just maintaining what they see as unbroken tradition.
What this means for feast days
For fixed feasts, the calendar matters a lot. At St. Michael, we celebrate the Nativity on December 25, the Transfiguration on August 6, and the Dormition on August 15. Those are Gregorian dates. An Old Calendar parish celebrates those same feasts 13 days later according to the civil calendar.
But Pascha is different. All Orthodox churches (with rare exceptions) calculate Pascha using the Julian calendar’s rules. This keeps us unified. We all celebrate Pascha on the same Sunday, even if we use different calendars for other feasts. It also ensures Pascha comes after Jewish Passover, which the Council of Nicaea required.
Sometimes Pascha happens to fall on the same day as Western Easter. Sometimes it’s weeks later. That’s because the West uses Gregorian calculations for Easter.
Is this about doctrine?
No. This is tradition and practice, not doctrine. The calendar doesn’t change what we believe about the Incarnation or the Resurrection. It doesn’t affect the content of our faith. The Church has always distinguished between matters of faith (which are unchangeable) and matters of discipline or practice (which can vary).
That said, canons are serious. The rules from Nicaea about Pascha aren’t just suggestions. Changing them requires proper authority. That’s why the calendar question got contentious. It’s not about the astronomy, it’s about who has the authority to change ancient practice.
The pastoral reality
If you’re inquiring into Orthodoxy, you might find this confusing. Your Antiochian friend celebrates Christmas on December 25, but your Russian Orthodox coworker celebrates it on January 7. You’re both Orthodox. What gives?
It’s one of those things you get used to. Mixed marriages can be tricky. Families split between jurisdictions sometimes celebrate twice. Most priests will tell you to focus on your own parish’s calendar and not worry too much about others.
The good news is that Pascha unites us. When we sing “Christ is risen from the dead, trampling down death by death,” we’re all singing it on the same night. That matters more than whether we lit the Christmas tree in December or January.
If you visit St. Michael during December, you’ll see us preparing for the Nativity just like the rest of Beaumont is preparing for Christmas. Our kids are off school. The church smells like pine. We’re fasting together as a parish family. The calendar serves the life of the Church. It doesn’t define it.
