Other than the history of the differences between these two dates, traditions also vary when it comes to the way Christmas is celebrated all over the world.
Every region of the world has its own set of traditions that are deeply rooted in culture and history — however, it is particularly evident in the way that most people celebrate Christmas on December 25th and the way it is celebrated on January 7th. It is safe to say that the December 25th Christmas date has commercialized over the years, making it less about religious-based traditions and more so consumer-based traditions.
This is evident in the tradition of gift-giving, as well as everything in between — from watching certain Western Christmas films every year to having hot chocolate and gingerbread cookies, not to mention all the effort that goes into Christmas decorating.
Gift-giving is not necessarily practiced as a Christmas tradition in Egypt — that is to say, it is not usually what most Copts do during Christmas time — however, it is still carried out amongst certain usually upper class demographics, perhaps as a result of Western influences. While these may not necessarily be religion-based traditions, they are considered wholesome and reflecting the essence and spirit of Christmas. Much like the calendar it is based off, the traditions of the January 7th Christmas date may still reflect old traditional values that are rather more religion-based.
This fast is meant to eliminate certain worldly pleasures and distractions so that one may better reflect on the period of time leading up to the birth of Jesus Christ. Other than the fast, there are also a few other culture-specific differences in terms of the food served on Christmas Eve and other such cultural traditions that are specific to the country the holiday is celebrated in.
In Greece for example a largely Greek Orthodox population , many people enjoy traditional Christmas dishes such as Christopsomo special spiced Christmas bread and melomakarona a Christmas dessert made of mainly flour, olive oil and honey. In Egypt however, Christmas dinner is usually comprised of traditional Egyptian dishes such as stuffed vine leaves and fattah toasted bread with rice and some type of meat , as well as turkey.
While it may seem as though there are a number of differences between these two dates, there are surely universal aspects that tie the two together. For one, they both ultimately mean to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ and they are always a heartwarming time of year. I hope that next year it will disappear, and for all of Sudan to be happy and to celebrate with us. This year is a different celebration, because most of the churches are closed.
I hope next year all the churches will be open and celebrating Christmas. The Orthodox Christian faith uses the old Julian calendar in which Christmas falls after the date in the more widespread Gregorian calendar.
On Wednesday afternoon -- Christmas Eve for Ethiopian Orthodox Christians -- prices of basic goods soared in the dusty marketplace near the Umm Raquuba refugee camp in Sudan as people scrambled to buy food to celebrate.
Demand is high. The sprawling camp is already close to capacity, while the United Nations this week opened a new camp to cope with arrivals. Refugees are continuing to flee the unrest in Ethiopia's Tigray region, with people having crossed the border into Sudan since the New Year, according to the UN.
On Christmas day, they may enjoy all kinds of food, including meat and desserts to celebrate this holiday. For example, the Orthodox country, Russia is famous for preparing dishes of baked goose with apples, as their Christmas meal.
They usually shape the symbol of the cross on it, which is obviously the best known symbol of Christianity. Christmas is considered one of the most important feasts in the Christian world. It links people, as family members go to church together in the morning, sing Christmas carols and exchange gifts.
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