Orthodox Christmas 2027 is on Thursday, January 7, 2027. That is December 25 on the old Julian calendar, which runs 13 days behind the Gregorian calendar used for everyday dates.
Not every Orthodox Christian celebrates on January 7. Some churches keep the Julian calendar for feasts, others moved Christmas to December 25 a century ago, and Ukraine changed its official date in 2023. This guide explains when Orthodox Christmas 2027 falls, why the date differs, which churches and countries use January 7, where it is a public holiday, and the related dates for Christmas Eve, Orthodox New Year and Theophany.
When is Orthodox Christmas 2027?
January 7, 2027 is a Thursday. Counting from today, October 6, 2026, that is 93 days away, or 13 weeks and two days. Our Orthodox Christmas page keeps the date for every year.
The days around it in early 2027:
- Western Christmas: Friday, December 25, 2026, covered in our Christmas 2026 guide.
- New Year’s Day: Friday, January 1, 2027.
- Orthodox Christmas Eve: Wednesday, January 6, 2027, which is also Western Epiphany.
- Orthodox Christmas: Thursday, January 7, 2027.
- Orthodox New Year (Julian January 1): Thursday, January 14, 2027.
- Theophany on the Julian calendar (January 6): Tuesday, January 19, 2027.
Why Orthodox Christmas is on January 7
The Orthodox churches that celebrate on January 7 still mark Christmas on December 25. They count that December 25 on the Julian calendar, the system introduced under Julius Caesar, rather than the Gregorian calendar that most of the world now uses for civil dates.
The two calendars differ in how they handle leap years. The Julian calendar adds a leap day every four years without exception. The Gregorian calendar skips the leap day in century years that can’t be divided by 400, such as 1700, 1800 and 1900. Each skipped day widened the gap, and it now stands at 13 days, so Julian December 25 lands on Gregorian January 7. Our guide to how leap years work goes through the Gregorian rule.
The gap isn’t permanent. 2100 is a leap year on the Julian calendar but not on the Gregorian one, so the difference grows to 14 days. From then on, Julian December 25 will fall on Gregorian January 8, starting with Christmas 2101.
Which churches celebrate on January 7 and which on December 25
The Orthodox world is split on this. In the 1920s several churches adopted the Revised Julian calendar, which matches the Gregorian calendar for fixed dates until 2800, while others kept the original Julian calendar.
| January 7 (Julian calendar) | December 25 (Revised Julian calendar) |
|---|---|
| Russian Orthodox Church | Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople |
| Serbian Orthodox Church | Church of Greece and Church of Cyprus |
| Georgian Orthodox Church | Romanian Orthodox Church |
| Patriarchate of Jerusalem | Bulgarian Orthodox Church |
| Macedonian Orthodox Church | Patriarchates of Alexandria and Antioch |
| Monasteries of Mount Athos | Orthodox Church in America |
| Orthodox Church of Ukraine (since 2023) |
Several Oriental Orthodox churches, including the Coptic Orthodox Church of Egypt and the Ethiopian and Eritrean Orthodox churches, use their own ancient calendars. Their Christmas falls on or near January 7; in 2027 it lands on January 7. Individual parishes, especially outside their home countries, can follow a different custom from their mother church, so check your own parish calendar.
Even churches that keep Christmas on December 25 usually calculate Easter on the Julian calendar, which is why Orthodox Easter often falls on a different Sunday from Western Easter. Our Easter 2027 guide compares the two.
Ukraine’s 2023 change
For decades Ukraine’s official Christmas holiday was January 7. From 2017 to 2022 the country had public holidays on both December 25 and January 7. In July 2023 President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed a law moving the official Christmas holiday to December 25 only, as reported by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and the Associated Press. The Orthodox Church of Ukraine moved to the Revised Julian calendar the same year.
Some Ukrainian parishes and families still celebrate on January 7, so you will see both dates in Ukrainian communities.
Where January 7 is a public holiday
Orthodox Christmas is a public holiday in several countries. Based on our country holiday data for 2027:
- Russia: Christmas Day on Thursday, January 7, falls inside the New Year holiday period that runs from January 1 to January 8.
- Serbia: Orthodox Christmas Day is a public holiday on January 7.
- Georgia and Belarus: January 7 is a public holiday.
- Ethiopia: Christmas (Genna) is a public holiday on January 7.
- Egypt: Coptic Christmas Day is a public holiday on January 7. See Egypt’s 2027 holidays.
Other countries with large Orthodox populations may also mark the day; check the official government list for the country you’re interested in. In Greece, which follows the Revised Julian calendar, Christmas Day is December 25, as the Greece holidays 2026 page shows.
In the United States, Canada and the UK, January 7 is not a public holiday, so anyone who wants the day off needs to arrange it with their employer or school.
Orthodox Christmas dates, 2027 to 2031
Because the gap stays at 13 days until 2100, Orthodox Christmas falls on January 7 every year, and the weekday moves forward like any fixed date.
| Year | Christmas Eve (January 6) | Orthodox Christmas (January 7) | Orthodox New Year (January 14) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2027 | Wednesday | Thursday | Thursday |
| 2028 | Thursday | Friday | Friday |
| 2029 | Saturday | Sunday | Sunday |
| 2030 | Sunday | Monday | Monday |
| 2031 | Monday | Tuesday | Tuesday |
Orthodox New Year, sometimes called the Old New Year, is January 1 on the Julian calendar. It always falls a week after Orthodox Christmas, so it lands on the same weekday. The weekday jumps two days between 2028 and 2029 because February 29, 2028 falls in between.
Frequently asked questions
When is Orthodox Christmas 2027?
Orthodox Christmas 2027 is on Thursday, January 7, 2027, for churches that follow the Julian calendar.
Why do Orthodox Christians celebrate Christmas on January 7?
They celebrate on December 25 of the Julian calendar, which currently runs 13 days behind the Gregorian calendar, so it falls on January 7.
Do all Orthodox churches celebrate Christmas on January 7?
No. The Greek, Romanian, Bulgarian and Cypriot churches, the Ecumenical Patriarchate and the Orthodox Church of Ukraine celebrate on December 25.
Does Ukraine celebrate Christmas on January 7?
Not officially since 2023. A law signed in July 2023 made December 25 the official Christmas holiday, though some families and parishes still keep January 7.
When is Orthodox Christmas Eve 2027?
Wednesday, January 6, 2027, the same day as Western Epiphany.
When is the Orthodox New Year 2027?
Thursday, January 14, 2027, which is January 1 on the Julian calendar.