Orthodox Christmas Day 2025 in Australia

Many Orthodox Christians in Australia celebrate Christmas Day on or near January 7 in the Gregorian calendar. This date works to be December 25 in the Julian calendar, which pre-dates the Gregorian calendar. It is a time to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ, who is believed to be the son of God.

Is Orthodox Christmas Day a Public Holiday?

Orthodox Christmas Day is not a public holiday. Businesses have normal opening hours.

What Do People Do?

Many Christian Orthodox churches in Australia celebrate Christmas in January instead of December 25. For example, the Ethiopian Orthodox Church and Russian Orthodox Church celebrate Christmas Day on January 7, while the Armenian Orthodox Church celebrates it on January 6. January falls during the summer vacation period in Australia so children are on school holidays at this time of the year.

Many Orthodox Christians in countries such as Australia fast before Christmas Day. Many people identify the Nativity Fast as the period of preparing to celebrate Jesus Christ’s birth. It is believed that fasting helps people shift their focus from themselves to others, spending less time worrying about food and using more time in increased prayer and caring for the poor. In return, fasting before the Nativity enables one to fully enjoy, appreciate and celebrate the Nativity of Christ.

Public Life

Orthodox Christmas Day on or near January 7 is not a federal public holiday in Australia.  However, parking and traffic around Orthodox Christian churches may be busy around this time of the year.

Background

Many Orthodox churches in Australia recognize the holiday dates according to the Julian calendar. Christmas is still on December 25 in the Julian calendar so the January 7 date is only valid between 1901 and 2100 The Gregorian date for Orthodox Christmas will be January 8 in 2101 if the Julian calendar is still used.

The Julian calendar was revised in 1923 and this version is more in line with the Gregorian calendar. Some Orthodox churches follow the revised Julian calendar but many Orthodox churches still follow the more traditional Julian calendar, which has the original dates for Christian observances prior to the Gregorian calendar’s introduction.

Symbols

For many Orthodox Christians, Christmas Day is not about the Christmas characters that have become popular through commercialization.  Christmas Day is a time of peace and unity. White cloth is used on dinner tables in some countries to symbolize purity and the cloth that baby Jesus was wrapped in. Straw may be placed on these tables to symbolize the simplicity of the place where Jesus was born.  Candles may be lit to represent the light of Christ and the festive Christmas meal represents the end of fasting.

About Orthodox Christmas Day in Other Countries

While we diligently research and update our holiday dates, some of the information in the table above may be preliminary. If you find an error, please let us know.