Christmas Around The World

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Huffington Post   |  Nour Akkad
First Posted: 12-25-08 11:17 AM   |   Updated: 01-25-09 05:12 AM

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Christmas is being celebrated around the world, from the beaches of Sydney to the battlefield of Baghdad to the streets of Johannesburg.

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- BadgerinNJ I'm a Fan of BadgerinNJ 2 fans permalink

You should get your facts straight. Celebrating Christmas January 6/7 has nothing to do with the Julian/Gregorian calendar issue. All early Christians (who were Christian before Christianity came to Rome) celebrated Christmas in January. December 25 was the pagan holiday, the Saturnalia. Christians in Rome, who would have been persecuted for celebrating Christmas in the open, used the cover of the Saturnalia to celebrate. That's how December 25 became "Christmas­." Some churches, like that of Armenia (where Christianity was practiced and accepted before it was in Rome) still celebrate Christmas on January 6. The Russians, although more recent converts to Christianity, honor the more ancient January celebration. It has nothing to do with the Julian/Gregorian calendar. That, I believe, is the basis for why Greek Easter falls on a different day than Easter in other Christian churches.

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 07:45 AM on 12/26/2008

Fun pictures. I'm enjoying the addition of the various slideshows Huffington, thanks.

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 02:45 PM on 12/25/2008
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