Christmas Facts: From Russian Christmas to Summer Christmas; all you need to know

The Christmas season is finally here and people are all set to paint their houses red following the Christmas vibes. People are ready with their list of Christmas Carols. But did you ever realise the fact that Christmas is not only celebrated from the cosy comforts of your houses, but some people do celebrate Christmas on beaches? You read it right! let's check out some amazing Christmas facts such as summer Christmas and how the Christmas celebration takes place on an unusual date in Russia.

Christmas celebration in Russia 

Why do Russians have a different date for celebrating Christmas?

Christmas is celebrated on the 7th of January by the Orthodox Christians in Russia, whereas Catholics celebrate it on the 25th of December. The reason why the date is different from the rest of the world is that Russians use the Julian calendar for their religious celebration days. Their official holiday for Christmas vacation starts from 31 December and lasts till 10 January.

What do Russians eat on Christmas?

People in Russia commonly eat 'kutia', which is a porridge made from wheat or rice served with poppy seeds, chopped walnuts honey and even fruit jellies. Eating Kutia from a common bowl is considered sacred and it symbolizes unity.

Christmas Carols and other stories associated with it

It is a tradition in Russia for Childrens to go around and wish people Merry Christmas, along with singing Christmas carols for them. People generally offer cookies, sweets and money to these children.

The most famous thing about the Christmas celebration in Russia is the story of Babushka. Babushka means Grand Mother in the Russian language and it tells the story of an old woman who keeps asking the wise men about baby Jesus. And it is believed that the grandmother roams around from one house to another at Christmas looking for the baby and she also leaves some gifts for all the children.

Take a look at countries where Christmas is not winter but a summer affair

 While most of the people around the world celebrate Christmas covered with snow, there are some countries where Christmas is a summer affair and people celebrate them on beaches or go on vacations to celebrate Christmas eve. The reason behind this is that these countries fall in the southern hemisphere and therefore, they have to celebrate sunny Christmas. Countries that celebrate Summer Christmas includes- Australia, South Africa, Brazil, New Zealand and Argentina.

IMAGE: AP