In Eritrea, like in its neighbour Ethiopia, Christmas is celebrated on January 7th, rather than December 25th.

This is because the Eritrean Orthodox Tewahedo Church uses the Geez Calendar that is somewhat similar to the Julian Calendar followed by Eastern Orthodox Church.

About half the population of Eritrea are Christians and the other half are muslims.

The main churches in Eritrea are the Eastern Orthodox Church, the Eritrean Catholic Church and the Evangelical Lutheran Church.

Many Christmas customs and traditions in Eritrea are similar to those in Ethiopia.

This includes people in the Eritrean Orthodox Tewahedo Church taking part in a special fast during Advent, leading up to Christmas. The fast starts on the 25th November and only a vegan diet is eaten.

A day or two before Christmas, people start preparing their big Christmas meal. Often the animal, which will be eaten at the meal, is purchased from a local street market.

These include, sheep, goats, cows or hens. People usually check an animal before purchasing it, to make sure it will have enough meat on it! The prices are normally bartered and making a deal can be a long process. The market is also buzzing with people chatting and doing last-minute grocery shopping for the holiday.

On Christmas Eve, the animal is killed. People will also do other final preparations for the meal. These include brewing Swa (a homemade beer), baking Injera (a fermented flatbread made of Taff flour) and cooking Zigni (a hot meat stew, often made with beef). Every family member will help at some point.

Many people will go to a Church service for Christmas. These can start during the evening of Christmas Eve or early in the morning on Christmas Day.

In Egypt about 15% of people are Christians. They are the only part of the population who really celebrate Christmas as a religious festival. Most Egyptian Christians belong to the Coptic Orthodox Church and they have some very unique traditions for Christmas.

Christmas Day isn’t celebrated on the 25th December but on 7th January (like in Ethiopia and by some Orthodox Christians in Russia and Serbia).

The Coptic month leading to Christmas is called Kiahk. People sing special praise songs on Saturday nights before the Sunday Service.

For the 43 days before Christmas (Advent), from 25th November to 6th January, Coptic Orthodox Christians have a special fast where they basically eat a vegan diet.

They don’t eat anything containing products that come from animals (including chicken, beef, milk and eggs).

This is called ‘The Holy Nativity Fast’. But if people are too weak or ill to fast properly they can be excused.

On Coptic Christmas Eve (6th January), Coptic Christians go to church for a special liturgy or Service.

The services normally start about 10.30pm but some chapels will be open for people to pray from 10.00pm. Many people meet up with their friends and families in the churches from 9.00pm onwards.

The services are normally finished shortly after midnight, but some go onto 4.00am!

When the Christmas service ends people go home to eat the big Christmas meal.

All the foods contain meat, eggs and butter – all the yummy things they didn’t during the Advent fast!

One popular course if ‘Fata’ a lamb soup which contains bread, rice, garlic and boiled lamb meat.

On the Orthodox Christmas Day (7th) people come together in homes for parties and festivities. People often take ‘kahk’ (special sweet biscuits) with them to give as gifts.

Even though not many in Egypt are Christians, a lot of people in the country like to celebrate Christmas as a secular holiday.

Christmas is becoming very commercial and most major supermarkets sell Christmas trees, Christmas food and decorations.

Hotels, parks and streets are decorated for Christmas.

Most Egyptians speak Egyptian Arabic. In Arabic Happy/Merry Christmas is ‘Eid Milad Majid’ (عيد ميلاد مجيد) which means ‘Glorious Birth Feast’.

755 An Lushan revolts against Chancellor Yang Guozhong at Fanyang, initiating the An Shi Rebellion during Chinese Tang Dynasty

1598 Seven Year War: Battle of Noryang Point – in the final battle of the war Korean navy decisively defeats the Japanese

1653 Parliamentarian General Oliver Cromwell appointed as Lord Protector of England, Scotland and Ireland

1773 Boston tea party incident – Sons of Liberty protesters throw tea shipments into Boston harbour in protest against British imposed Tea Act

1785 John Marrant arrives at the port city of Shelburne, Nova Scotia. He will pastor at neighboring Birchtown, apparently the first-ever African-American ordained (in Selina Hastings’s Methodist Connexion) with authority to baptize, conduct marriages, and administer Communion.

1873 Birth of Missionary Statesman, Robert A. Jaffray.

1920 8.5 earthquake rocks the Gansu province in China, killing an estimated 200,000

1944 Nazi Germany launches a counteroffensive against the Allies in the Ardennes region of Belgium, beginning the ‘Battle of the Bulge’

1998 Iraq disarmament crisis: Operation Desert Fox – the United States and United Kingdom bomb targets in Iraq

Today’s Historical Events

Today In Film & Tv

1967 “Playtime”, French film directed by Jacques Tati, starring himself, is released

Today In Music

1893 Antonín Dvořák’s Symphony No. 9 – “New World Symphony” premieres at Carnegie Hall, New York

Today In Sport

1930 Golfer Bobby Jones is the first to win the James E. Sullivan Award (best US amateur athlete)

Do You Know This Fact About Today? Did You Know?

1689 English Parliament passes Bill of Rights establishing limits on crown powers and requirement for regular elections.

Would You Believe This Fact About Today? Would You Believe?

1937 Theodore Cole and Ralph Roe attempt to escape from American federal prison Alcatraz Island in San Francisco Bay; neither is ever seen again.