The Night Before Magic: How Moscow Met Christmas
On the festive night of January 7, services were held in all churches in the country, including the main Cathedral of Christ the Savior. Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia conducted the Christmas service there. He urged the faithful to pray for peace and justice. How the capital celebrated the holiday, - in the report of "Izvestia".
Christmas in Moscow
Believers began to gather in churches on January 6 around 17:00, this time is traditionally called Christmas Eve. In churches this evening the Great Christmas Eve Vespers is served, and believers fast "until the first star", that is, they try not to eat all day until evening.
The main events unfold at midnight, at which time the festive service begins in the churches. All the prayers in the Christmas liturgy are dedicated to the mystery of the Incarnation of God. For example, in the main troparion of the feast it is sung that thanks to the coming of Christ into the world "the light of reason shone to the world". This was confirmed by the story of the Magi (magicians, astrologers) who previously "served the stars". But when they saw the Star of Bethlehem in the sky, they realized that a Savior had been born into the world - the only worthy guide worth serving. That is why in the troparion Christ is called the Sun of Truth, who descended into the world "from the height of the East".
Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia holds a patriarchal service on the Feast of the Nativity of Christ in the Cathedral of Christ the Savior in Moscow
The main Christmas service was held in the cathedral of the Russian Orthodox Church, the Cathedral of Christ the Savior in Moscow. The Primate of the Russian Church recalled that the Lord came into the world and became a man. By doing so, he kind of renounced his power and authority, and if he did something powerful, it was only to help people.
- Why was it necessary to humble himself so much, to descend from the pinnacle of omnipotence to the life of a poor man? All this was done because of God's love for the simple man, and for the whole human race. Because if God always stayed somewhere in the Heavens, on some Olympus, as it was with the pagans, He would have remained invisible, incomprehensible, powerful, maybe even evil, deciding the fate of human beings. But the Lord came down to us, became one of us, - said the patriarch.
In addition, the head of the Russian Orthodox Church urged believers to pray for peace and justice.
"May the Lord help us all ... never lose hope in God and always remember that where God is, there is strength and there is victory. And if we keep this faith in our Lord and Savior, there will also be victories in our lives - in personal, family, community and state, because where God is, there is victory. Let us ask the Lord to stop the terrible internecine strife on the battlefield, which torments the peoples belonging to the united holy Russia, to the historical Russia", - said the patriarch.
Among those who came that night to the festive service in the Cathedral of Christ the Savior, Izvestia correspondent noticed some high-ranking officials - State Secretary of the Union State of Russia and Belarus Dmitry Mezentsev, pilot-cosmonaut Elena Serova, Chairman of the Moscow City Duma Alexei Shaposhnikov, Head of the Department of National Policy and Interregional Relations of Moscow Vitaly Suchkov, First Deputy General Director of JSC "Russian Railways" Vadim Mikhailov and others.
President Vladimir Putin celebrated Christmas in the Church of the Great Martyr George the Victorious on Poklonnaya Hill. Together with him, the service was attended by the participants of the SWO, volunteers, and their families, whom the head of state had met earlier as part of the Year of the Family events.
Russian President Vladimir Putin, left, and Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia, center, during a Christmas Day service at Christ the Savior Cathedral in Moscow.
Later, the President came to the Cathedral of Christ the Savior. At his request, Patriarch Kirill consecrated crosses and icons for the servicemen taking part in the special military operation. The head of state said that he would hand them over to the commanders of the groups of troops performing especially important tasks in the zone of the special military operation.
Vladimir Putin also congratulated all believers on Christmas.
"This bright, long-awaited holiday is dear to millions of people around the world. It gives believers joy and hope, inspires good thoughts, deeds and actions. On Christmas days, we clearly feel with all our hearts how important for us are fatherly, family traditions passed down from generation to generation," the President's address reads.
According to the President, the Russian Orthodox Church and other Christian denominations of Russia play a huge creative role in uniting the people, in preserving our historical memory, unique cultural and spiritual heritage.
Away from the hustle and bustle of the city
Some Orthodox Christians are accustomed to traveling to small churches outside the city for Christmas, away from the hustle and bustle of the city. For example, Arkady, a Muscovite, traditionally comes to the village of Uspenskoe every year to celebrate Christmas with his loved ones.
- For six years I have been coming to Uspenskoe village for the Christmas night service from Moscow," he said. - My childhood was spent in the neighboring village, and we used to go to our church together with my mother and sisters. After I moved to Moscow, it became a good tradition for me to come to the cozy village temple on big holidays.
Near the entrance to the temple territory there were officers of the Ministry of Internal Affairs standing by in case of law and order violations.
Building of the Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary
- Last year we had one drunken man brought out here, walking and yelling on the territory," Ivan, a resident of the village, told the Izvestiya correspondent. - But the staff dealt with him gently, took him outside, explained that he was spoiling people's holiday, and sent him home.
In addition, parishioners noted that from year to year the temple workers together with all comers decorate the church for Christmas.
Before the beginning of the Christmas service, the rector of the Church of the Dormition of the Blessed Virgin Mary in the village of Uspenskoye Archpriest Iliya came out to the faithful to conduct a general confession. As parishioners told the Izvestiya correspondent, the priest introduced such a feature because so many parishioners want to confess on Christmas night.
When the festive service began, everything in the church shone with bright light, and the choir sang so that the faces of the parishioners lit up with smiles. Among them were many young people who helped the elderly to sit on the benches and in case of poor health took them outside to breathe. It was not so cold this night, the thermometer columns barely reached -6 degrees Celsius.
At the very end of the service , the rector of the church, Father Iliya, said a sermon about love, which helps to open a person to the joy of life, and congratulated the Orthodox on the great holiday. After that he called everyone to join the festive meal, which was awaited by all fasting Christians.
- For our family, Christmas in the Church of the Assumption was a big family holiday," parishioner Victor told Izvestia. - We stood the entire service, and before that we fasted since the end of November. Now all the food we eat now tastes several times better.
The Church of the Intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Nekrasovka could not accommodate all those wishing to attend the service that night. The faithful stood even in the street. In order for them to hear the festive chants and prayers, on the facade of the temple thoughtfully hung a loudspeaker, which broadcast everything that was happening. Both inside and outside the temple was decorated with Christmas trees with toys and garlands, in the courtyard was traditionally equipped with a creche depicting the birth of Christ. The faithful hurried to take pictures next to it.
According to the legend, then, 2025 years ago, the Virgin Mary and her husband Joseph went to Bethlehem to take part in the census. But they ran out of room at an inn and were forced to stay in a stable with their pets. The Church treats the birth of Christ as a great sacrament, which is why both creches and icons of the Nativity are traditionally covered with branches of fir trees. They seem to hide from prying eyes what is going on inside.
People were allowed into the temple through metal detectors. The Afanasyev family came to the temple in full, along with their three children.
- Our youngest is seven, but he is used to the fact that on Christmas night we do not sleep, so he is not cranky and is very much looking forward to the meal, - said the head of the family Sergei. - We have all been preparing for communion, fasting and tomorrow we plan to gather at home for a festive meal.
We gave communion to the faithful from several chalices at once - this is always the case on major holidays, because there are so many people.
Now the Ministry of Internal Affairs collects statistics on how many people came to the temples of the capital. In 2024, for example, there were about 550 churches in Moscow. The service then was attended by more than 1 million believers.
