The Nativity of Christ

God became man, born in a cave in Bethlehem, that man might be raised to God.

The Nativity of Christ, or Christmas, is the feast of the birth of Jesus Christ in Bethlehem, the Son of God made man. The Orthodox Church keeps it on December 25, which falls on January 7 for churches on the Julian calendar. Forty days of the Nativity Fast prepare for it, and twelve fast-free days follow it.

In 2026 the Nativity of Christ falls on Friday, December 25, on the New Calendar, and on Thursday, January 7, 2027, on the Old Calendar.

Also called the Nativity in the Flesh of our Lord, Christmas.

Reckoning the date…

Next in the calendar: New Calendar, December 25, 2026 · Old Calendar, January 7, 2027

At the Nativity the Church confesses the heart of the Gospel: that the eternal Son of God, without ceasing to be God, took flesh and was born of the Virgin Mary. The One whom the heavens cannot contain is held in a manger. This is not God appearing to look like a man, but God truly becoming man, taking our whole nature to Himself so that it might be healed from within.

The Fathers call this the wondrous exchange: He takes what is ours, birth, poverty, the flesh, and gives us what is His. “He was made man,” writes St Athanasius, “that we might be made God.” The cave and the manger are already the first signs of the Cross: the King enters His creation in poverty and humility, laid where the animals feed, foreshadowing the One who will be the Bread of Life.

The feast falls on December 25, and is preceded by the Nativity Fast, a season of preparation that readies the heart to receive Him. Around it stand Theophany and the other feasts of the Lord's coming, so that the whole winter of the church year is lit by the mystery of God-with-us, Emmanuel.

Questions about the Nativity

When do Orthodox Christians celebrate Christmas?

On December 25. Churches on the Julian calendar keep that day thirteen days after the civil calendar, so their Christmas falls on January 7.

How do Orthodox Christians greet each other at Christmas?

With "Christ is born!", answered "Glorify Him!", the opening words of the feast's canon, first sung at Matins on the Entry of the Theotokos.

Do Orthodox Christians fast before Christmas?

Yes. The Nativity Fast keeps forty days, from November 15, and Christmas Eve is a strict fast.

Are the days after Christmas fast-free?

Yes. From Christmas to January 4 there is no fasting, even on Wednesday and Friday. The fast returns on January 5, the strict Eve of Theophany.

When is the Nativity of Christ in 2026?

In 2026 the Nativity of Christ falls on Friday, December 25, on the New Calendar, and on Thursday, January 7, 2027, on the Old Calendar.

What are the readings for the Nativity of Christ?

For the feast:

At the Liturgy, the Epistle is Galatians 4.4-7 and the Gospel is Matthew 2.1-12.
The Matins Gospel is Matthew 1.18-25.

On the day itself the calendar also lists that weekday's or Sunday's readings, and any other saint's.

What is the troparion of the Nativity of Christ?

Thy Nativity, O Christ our God, hath shed upon the world the light of knowledge; for thereby they that worshipped the stars were taught by a star to worship Thee, the Sun of Righteousness, and to know Thee, the Dayspring from on high. O Lord, glory to Thee.

More questions about the Orthodox Church, answered ›

The troparion of the feast

“Thy Nativity, O Christ our God, hath shed upon the world the light of knowledge; for thereby they that worshipped the stars were taught by a star to worship Thee, the Sun of Righteousness, and to know Thee, the Dayspring from on high. O Lord, glory to Thee.”

Troparion · Neale, Hymns of the Eastern Church (1862) · public domain

The saints of December

The saints of December, day by day ›

In Orthros

The prayers and hymns of the Nativity, the Nativity Fast on the calendar, and the catechesis of the feast are all kept in Orthros, free to read, each with its source named.