Why The 7th?

 Today is Christmas for several Orthodox Christian Religions (Armenian Orthodox, Russian Orthodox, Georgian Orthodox, Ukrainian Orthodox, Belarussian Orthodox, Serbian Orthodox, North Macedonian Orthodox, Ethiopian Orthodox, Eritrean Orthodox and Egyptian Coptic Orthodox, etc.)

Roman Catholics, Protestants and the other Orthodox Religions (Constantinople Orthodox, Bulgarian Orthodox, Greek Orthodox, Finnish Orthodox, Cypriot Orthodox and American Orthodox, etc.) celebrate Christmas on December 25th.

The date is decided upon when each place adopted the Gregorian Calendar from the Julian Calendar and whether the different Religions moved their Religious Holidays to fit the New Calendar or kept them the same as the Old Calendar.

The Gregorian Calendar was created by Pope Gregory XIII in 1582 and every Roman Catholic Country and Territory adopted the Gregorian Calendar then (ie. Spain, France, etc.) The Catholics kept their Religious Holidays with the Old Calendar (ie. Christmas on December 25th.)

The United Kingdom and its Colonies (Canada, the US. Australia, etc.) adopted the Gregorian Calendar in 1752. Alaska was the last place in the US to adopt the Gregorian Calendar.  It used the Julian Calendar when it was a Russian Colony, but changed to the Gregorian Calendar when the US bought it in 1867.

The Church of England Protestants saw how the Calendar Changeover had worked successfully in Catholic Countries 170 years earlier and so they decided to keep their Religious Holidays with the Old Calendar (ie. Christmas on December 25th.)

The Soviet Union switched to the Gregorian Calendar in 1918. The Russian Orthodox Church (banned by the Soviet Communists) decided to also switch their Religious Holidays to the New Calendar  in line with the new Soviet Communist Government (ie. Christmas on January 7th.)

Greece switched to the Gregorian Calendar in 1923. The Greek Orthodox Church didn’t want to be associated with the Soviet Communists who they saw as running the Russian Orthodox Church so they kept their Religious Holidays using the Old Calendar (ie. Christmas on December 25th.)

Today may be Christmas in some places, but presents, etc. have already been given (ie. In the USSR the Communists only allowed New Year's Presents and Celebrations on January 1^st, starting in 1935, and not on Orthodox Christmas - January 7th - since Communists are Atheists. Many places in the Former Soviet Union, like Russia, continue that tradition.)