Christmas service at the Cathedral of Christ the Savior. Broadcast

On the night of January 7, the Patriarchal Christmas service began in the Cathedral of Christ the Savior in Moscow. The live broadcast of the event is conducted by Izvestia.

Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia leads the service.

Christmas services will be held in other churches in the capital, in particular in the Church of the Ascension of Christ in Sokolniki and the Novodevichy Monastery. In total, services usually take place in about 500 churches in the capital.

The service usually lasts about four hours.

During the service, the clergy perform solemn hymns and prayers. The main hymn of the holiday is the troparion "Thy Nativity, O Christ our God," which is a short prayer hymn.

In Russia, Sakhalin and Kamchatka were among the first to celebrate the Divine Liturgy.

In Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, the Cathedral of the Nativity of Christ became the main place of Christmas worship. Hundreds of believers and guests of the island gathered under its arches for an all-night service. A solemn service was also held in Kamchatka, in the Cathedral of the Holy Life—Giving Trinity. The church was filled with parishioners, despite the harsh weather.

On January 6, Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia called on all those who are not believers to open their hearts to God on the Orthodox holiday of Christmas. The head of the Russian Orthodox Church added that, in accordance with Christian teaching, healing of human life and the whole world can only happen through unity with God.

As Archpriest Mikhail Potokin, chairman of the Synodal Department for Charity and Social Service of the Russian Orthodox Church, said on the same day, the festive table at Christmas should be organized according to one's capabilities and preferences, while communication, not food, will always be the main thing at the table. He also noted that on Christmas and Yuletide it is important to give good deeds and help those in need.

Christmas in 2026: what to say and how to respond to congratulations

Christmas is an important holiday for Christians of all faiths, because it marks the beginning of the earthly life of Christ. The Russian Orthodox Church celebrates it on January 7, and the Western Church and a number of local Orthodox churches celebrate it on December 25. Discrepancies in dates arise due to the fact that the Orthodox liturgical calendar is conducted according to the Julian system ("old style"), while Catholics and Protestants follow the Gregorian system.

Since the second century, Christmas has been celebrated on Epiphany Day, the name given to a large church celebration dedicated simultaneously to three important events.: the birth of Jesus, the bringing of the gifts by the Magi, and the Baptism of Christ in the Jordan River.

All important news is on the Izvestia channel in the MAX messenger.