Most of Orthodox Christians in Moldova celebrate Christmas according to old style

The largest part of the Orthodox Christians in Moldova follow the Julian Calendar and observe Christmas on January 7, Info-Prim Neo reports. In the Eastern Orthodox Church Christmas is called The Nativity and is considered one of the 12 Great Feasts of the church year. It ranks third in importance among the Great Feasts, after Easter and Pentecost. The feast is preceded by a forty-day fast called the Nativity Fast. The Fast ends on Christmas Eve. The traditional Christmas meal includes pound cake, mincemeat rolls in cabbage or vine leaves, meat jelly, pork sausages, black pudding and red wine. The Twelfth Day of Christmas is the eve of the feast of Theophany, or Epiphany, the manifestation of Jesus as the Christ, or Messiah, and the manifestation of the Holy Trinity. The Orthodox Church of Jerusalem, the Russian Orthodox Church, the Serbian Orthodox Church, the Georgian Orthodox Church, the Ukrainian Orthodox Church and the Greek Old Calendarists that use the Julian Calendar for the fixed feasts of the liturgical year celebrate Christmas on January 7.