Belgian-Macedonian Business Club

A quick guide into different calendars.

Western countries, mostly catholic or protestant, have Christmas on December 25th. The roman holiday of Saturnalia was on that date, hence the tradition of gifts. Emperor Constantine placed Christmas on this holiday.

In 1582, pope Gregory adjusted the calendar used since Cesar, eliminating the lap year every 100 years. The adaptation made the calendar advance 10 days. Add the exception to the exception like in the year 2000, the current difference is 13 days. The difference will become 14 days in 2100.

But: the pope was catholic, and other churches only followed slowly this reform. UK adopted the calendar in 1752, Greece followed 1923, and Ukraine Orthodox church adopted it in 2023 for the first time while Russia still remains in the old mode.

Which makes the catholic/protestant Christmas in North Macedonia on Dec. 25th, while the Orthodox have it on January 7th.

The same twist goes for new year, which for the traditional Orthodox church is on Jan. 13th. And other holidays, like Maria Assumption: Aug. 15th in Belgium, Aug. 28th in North Macedonia.

Following the old Jewish tradition when Shabbat starts with the sunset of Friday, Christian holidays start the evening before. So, Christmas starts on Dec. 24th in the evening or on Jan. 6th in the evening for the orthodox.

It will get more complicated for Easter, the first Sunday after the Paschal Full Moon, the first full moon after the vernal equinox. Early Christians wanted Easter to coincide with Passover, because Christ‘s death and resurrection happened after the Jewish holiday of Passover. And as the Julian calendar, used by some Orthodox churches, is 10 days late, the beginning of Spring, March 21st, might be after one first full moon in the Gregorian Calendar when it is not yet spring in the Julian calendar. But it can happen that for both calendars Easter falls on the same day, like in 2025 when Easter Sunday is on April 20th for the Catholics, Protestant and Orthodox, independent from their calendars.