Elder Iona of Odessa prophesied that the Easter after his death would be an Easter of blood… such was so. He prophesied that the next Easter after that would be an Easter of hunger… such was so. He prophesied that the Easter after that would be an “Easter of Victory”… may God grant us that, in full. May Holy Rus see peace… in all honour and dignity, with all enemies chased away from its borders.
BMD
Patriarch Kirill Gundyaev of Moscow and all the Russias during Christmas Eve services at the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour in Moscow (Federal City of Moscow. Central Federal District) RF.
Nuns at the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour in Moscow during Christmas services.
A priest and a bishop at the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour in Moscow before Christmas services.
President V V Putin attended Christmas Eve services at the Church of the Protection of the Blessed Virgin in Otradnoye (Voronezh Oblast. Central Federal District) RF on 7 January 2015.
Visitors at the Christmas Fair in Pionerskaya Square, in St Petersburg (Federal City of St Petersburg. Northwestern Federal District) RF.
A girl visits the Seasons Fair in Moscow Hermitage Garden.
Visitors shopping for Christmas decorations at the New Year Fair in TsUM (Central Department Store).
Participants and guests of a Christmas Fair at the Moscow Hermitage Garden.
Visitors watch a show at the Christmas Fair in Pionerskaya Square in St Petersburg.
An outdoor party in Kolomna (Moscow Oblast. Central Federal District) RF during the Svyatki.
Horse-drawn troikas in Kolomenskoye (Federal City of Moscow. Central Federal District) RF during the Svyatki.
One of the chief activities that Svyatki revellers engage in is singing carols.
Girl divines her fortune during the Svyatki holidays in Chelyabinsk (Chelyabinsk Oblast. Ural Federal District) RF.
A girl tries to divine her fortune by examining a valenok during the Svyatki.
Girls divining their fortunes during the Svyatki.
Russia celebrates Christmas on 7 January due to the Russian Orthodox Church’s use of the Julian calendar. This tradition dates back to the Baptism of Rus by Grand Prince St Vladimir in the late 10th century, when Eastern Slavs first accepted Orthodox Christianity during a mass baptism in Kiev. Churches and cathedrals across the country hold long services, including the Royal Hours, Vespers, and the All-Night Vigil. Mainly a religious event, Christmas in Russia has been a national holiday since 1992. In some regions, all families, both those who attend church services and those who don’t, celebrate the occasion with a traditional Christmas Eve supper. Christmas fairs are a recent addition to Christmas celebrations in Russia. Christmas in Russia marks the beginning of the Svyatki… festivities pre-dating Christianity… that culminate in the celebration of Epiphany on 19 January. Fortune telling was one of the important aspects of the Svyatki in Russia. Today, people do it mostly for fun. Divination was especially popular among young unmarried women… they wanted to find out who they were going to marry.
8 January 2015
Sputnik International
Patriarch Kirill Gundyaev of Moscow and all the Russias gave the traditional Christmas address to believers at the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour in Moscow (Federal City of Moscow. Central Federal District) RF on 6 January
Believers gathered for Christmas Eve services at the Church of the Nativity in Krasnoyarsk (Krasnoyarsk Krai. Siberian Federal District) RF
Christmas Day in Russia marks the birth of Jesus Christ according to Orthodox Christian Orthodox tradition
Serbian believers took part in a ceremonial burning of the badnjak (dried oak branches), a Yule log symbol for Orthodox Christmas Eve, in front of a church in Smederevo, some 60 kilometres east of Belgrade, on 6 January 2015
The vast majority of people in Georgia are Orthodox Christians. Early on 7 January, Georgian Orthodox believers went to Christmas services at Trinity Cathedral in Tbilisi
Songs play an important role in Christmas traditions, and Georgian Christmas carols have a spirit of beauty and dignity
Christmas is a major holy day in the Orthodox world; in Cairo, Coptic Pope Tawadros blessed the communion bread during Christmas Eve services at St Mark Cathedral, the seat of the Coptic Orthodox Patriarchate
The total number of Orthodox Christians around the world is about 300 million… Bosnian Serb Orthodox Hieromonk Andrej Kovacevic prayed on the eve of Orthodox Christmas in Sokolica Church, in Ravna Romanija, on 6 January 2015
Greek Orthodox clergy waiting for the arrival of the Greek Patriarch of Jerusalem Metropolitan Theophilos before the Eastern Orthodox Christmas procession outside the Church of the Nativity in the West Bank town of Bethlehem, 6 January 2015
7 January 2015
RT
Christmas celebration after services at the Orthodox parish in Sosnovka (Zhaiyl Raion. Chui Oblast) KYRGYZSTAN, 80 kilometres (50 miles) from the capital city of Bishkek
President V V Putin attended Christmas Eve services at a parish in Otradnoye (Voronezh Oblast. Central Federal District) RF
Christmas services at the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour in Moscow (Federal City of Moscow. Central Federal District) RF
Chairman of the Government D A Medvedev and his wife S V Medvedeva attended Christmas services at the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour in Moscow
Bishop Panteleimon Shatov (head of MP Synodal Department for Church Charity and Social Services) amongst children during Christmas services in Moscow
People arrive for Christmas Eve services at St Sava Cathedral in Belgrade (Okruz-City of Belgrade) SERBIA
Coptic Orthodox Christmas Eve services at the Cave Cathedral of St Sama’ans in the Mokattam Hills overlooking Cairo (Cairo Governorate) EGYPT
Palestinian Christian Greek Orthodox worshippers celebrate Christmas at St Porphyrios Church in Gaza City (Gaza Governorate) PALESTINE
Georgian Orthodox believers gather at Trinity Cathedral for Christmas services in Tbilisi (First-Level City of Tbilisi) GEORGIA
Orthodox Christians celebrate Christmas on 7 January, according to the Julian calendar, which is 13 days behind the Catholic Gregorian calendar. On the night before 7 January, Patriarch Kirill Gundyaev of Moscow and all the Russias led the Christmas service at the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour in Moscow. President V V Putin attended Christmas services at a village church in southern Russia.
7 January 2015
ITAR-TASS
Voices from Russia 
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