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Christmas in Russia     Christmas in Russia is celebrated on 7 January and marks the birthday of Jesus. On Christmas Eve (6 January), there are several long services, including the Royal Hours and Vespers combined with the Divine Liturgy. The family will then return home for the traditional Christmas Eve "Holy Supper", which consists of 12 dishes, one to honor each of the Twelve Apostles. Devout families will then return to church for the "всеночная" All Night Vigil. Then again, on Christmas Morning, for the "заутренняя" Divine Liturgy of the Nativity. Merry Christmas!

Christ is risen from the dead, Trampling down death by death, And upon those in the tombs Bestowing life!         This is the Expected and Holy Day,         the One among the Sabbaths,         the Sovereign and Lady of days,         Feast of feasts, Celebration of celebrations,         on which we praise Christ for all eternity!

ORTHODOX CHRISTMAS Jesus is the "Sun of righteousness". Unto you shall the sun of righteousness arise, and healing is in his wings.

Our Lady of Kazan Our Lady of Kazan, also called Theotokos of Kazan, was a holy icon of the highest stature within the Russian Orthodox Church, representing the Virgin Mary as the protector and patroness of the city of Kazan. Her feast days are July 21 and November 4 (which is also the Day of National Unity). According to tradition, the icon was discovered on July 8, 1579, underground in the city of Kazan by a little girl, Matrona, to whom the location of the image was revealed by the Theotokos, the Blessed Virgin Mary, in a Marian apparition. The original icon was kept in the Theotokos Monastery of Kazan, built to commemorate the spot where it had been discovered. Kazan Monastery of the Theotokos where the icon was conserved until 1904. Invocation of the Virgin Mary through the icon was credited by the Russian commanders, Dmitry Pozharsky and Mikhail Kutuzov, with helping the country to repel the Polish invasion of 1612, the Swedish invasion of 1709, and Napoleon's invasio...