After the customary celebrations of Christmas and New Year and while we are already getting back into the daily routine, the celebrations will begin soon for some Limassol residents. By a delay of 13 days, a significant group of Christians living in the city and province will celebrate Christmas and New Year's according to the dates specified in the Julian, or old - as is customary to say -, calendar.

Although in 1918 the Council of People's Commissars in the Soviet Union decided to replace the Julian calendar with the Gregorian, which at that time was used throughout Europe, the Russian Orthodox Church, however, remained loyal to Julian. So, for the Orthodox Russians, Christmas Eve is celebrated on January 6th and the Christmas Day on December 7th.

The New Year is celebrated accordingly to the Gregorian calendar on January 14th, 1 week, that is, after Christmas. The multitudinous Russian community of Limassol follows this tradition, as in Russia the entire country moves in a festive spirit from January 1st to January 10th.

On the occasion of these celebrations in Limassol various events take place for the Russian Christmas and New Year's on January 7th and 14th.

Apart from the Russian Orthodox, some Greek Cypriots — who follow the holy ceremony in a church at Mesa Yitonia in Limassol — and the Armenians also celebrate Christmas according to the old calendar. Celebrations in January take place in other Christian communities also in Cyprus, Greece, Romania, Serbia, Ukraine and Jerusalem.