Christmas service in the Cathedral of Christ the Savior. Broadcast

On the night of January 7, the Christmas patriarchal service began in the Cathedral of Christ the Savior in Moscow. Izvestia is broadcasting the event live.

Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia is leading the service.

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

Usually the service lasts about four hours.

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

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

Since the second century, Christmas has been celebrated on the day of Epiphany, the name of a large church celebration dedicated to three important events at the same time: the birth of Jesus, the offering of gifts by the Magi, and Christ's baptism in the Jordan River.