Why Novak Djokovic Will Celebrate Christmas in January: What Is Orthodox Christmas?

Novak Djokovic celebrates his Christmas in January every year. The Serbian is an Orthodox Christian and follows the traditions religiously. The Orthodox Christians do not follow the Christmas routine and instead celebrate Christmas on 7th January instead. Novak Djokovic has often posted on his social media accounts about his Orthodox Christmas celebrations.

Approximately 12% of all Christians worldwide belong to a group known as Orthodox Christians. These people celebrate Christmas on January 7, which is a later than the rest of the world. The Orthodox Christians do not follow the normal Christmas rituals like decorating a tree and wishing Santa for presents. Their celebrations are more focused on religious traditions and prayers.

Some of the traditional celebrations of the Orthodox Christmas include burning of the a piece of a tree, called as “badnjak” and the hiding of a coin in a round bread called “cesnica”. The one who finds the hidden coin is deemed lucky for the year.

In January of 2023, Djokovic posted a picture from a church wishing his followers a Merry Christmas. The Serbian was at Adelaide’s Saint Sava Serbian Orthodox Church to celebrate the occasion.

 

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Novak Djokovic declared that he is an orthodox Christian when he was awarded the order of St. Sava. The order of St. Sava is the highest degree of honor given to a Orthodox Christian. The Serbian received this award especially for helping financially to renovate religious buildings in his hometown, Serbia.

“This is the most important title of my life, because before being an athlete, I am an Orthodox Christian.”

What is Orthodox Christmas that Novak Djokovic follows every year?

Christmas is celebrated on December 25 in Christian religions such as Protestantism and Catholicism to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. However, a group of Orthodox Christians celebrate Orthodox Christmas on January 7. The Orthodox Christians follow the Julian Calendar which is 13 days behind the Gregorian calendar. The Gregorian calendar is currently used worldwide, hence, the Orthodox Christmas is celebrated 13 days after 25th December,

Orthodox Christians fast on Christmas Eve after abstaining from meat, eggs, dairy, and alcohol for 40 days prior to the holiday. Globally, there are over 260 million Orthodox Christians. It is the most common religion in Serbia, Greece, Belarus, Russia, and Ukraine.