The Nativity of Christ was established by the Church in honor of an event that took place on earth 2015 years ago; it is one of the twelve main holidays of the annual liturgical cycle.
The Nativity of Christ is a great feast. On Christmas night from January 6 to 7, a festive Divine Liturgy is celebrated. On Christmas Day itself, believers celebrate and feast – “break the fast” (now it is allowed to eat not only Lenten, but also “fast” food). The twelve days following Christmas are called “holy days” or “Svyatki”.
The story of the birth of Jesus Christ is contained in the Gospels of Luke and Matthew. During the reign of Herod in Judea, which was under the rule of Rome, Emperor Octavian Augustus issued an order to conduct a nationwide census. The Jews were recorded by tribes and clans; each clan had its own places of forefathers. Joseph and Mary, as descendants of King David, were descended from Bethlehem, they had to be registered only there, and that is where they headed from Nazareth.
According to the Gospel, in Bethlehem they could not find a place for themselves in a house or at an inn, so they were forced to stop outside the city, in a cave where shepherds sheltered their cattle in bad weather. In this cave at night, the Blessed Virgin Mary gave birth to a Baby – the Son of God, Christ. The first to come to worship the Nativity of Jesus were the shepherds, informed of this miraculous event by the appearance of an angel. And a miraculous star appeared in the sky, which led the Magi (wise men) to the baby Jesus. The Magi presented Christ with gifts – gold, frankincense and myrrh. On the eighth day after the birth of the Savior, according to the law, he was given the name Jesus, which was indicated by the Lord through an angel.
The Christian Church celebrates the great event of the Nativity of Christ on December 25. The Russian Orthodox Church adheres to the Julian calendar in its liturgical life, in which December 25 corresponds to January 7 according to the Gregorian (modern Russian calendar). On Christmas Eve, the All-Night Vigil with Great Compline is served, during which prophecies about the Nativity are sung and read. Around midnight, Matins begins, which is performed according to the rite of great holidays. During it, fragments of the Gospel about the Nativity are read and the canon “Christ is born…” is sung — one of the most beautiful canons in Orthodox worship. Then the festive Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom is served.