Calendar, History

Why is Coptic Christmas celebrated on 7 January?

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The Coptic Orthodox Church today celebrates ⲡⲉϩⲟⲟⲩ ⲙ̀ⲙⲓⲥⲓ ⲙ̀ⲡⲭ︤ⲥ︥, Christmas or the Nativity, on 7 January while the West celebrates it on 25 December according to the Gregorian calendar. We will explore the history of these dates and what led to the celebration of the Nativity on different dates.

Introduction

The exact date of Jesus’s birth, known as the Nativity, is unknown. Although the Gospels of Matthew and Luke recount the story of His birth, neither they—nor any other part of the Bible—specify an exact date. This uncertainty led early Christians to propose various dates for the Nativity. Around 200 AD, Clement of Alexandria, a prominent theologian and head of the Catechetical School of Alexandria, wrote about these differing opinions: 1

“And there are those who have determined not only the year of our Lord’s birth, but also the day; and they say that it took place in the twenty-eighth year of Augustus, and in the twenty-fifth day of Pachon [= 20 May]. And the followers of Basilides hold the day of his baptism as a festival, spending the night before in readings. And they say that it was the fifteenth year of Tiberius Caesar, the fifteenth day of the month Tubi [= 10 January]; and some that it was the eleventh of the same month [= 6 January]… Further, others say that He was born on the twenty-fourth or twenty-fifth of Pharmuthi [= 19/20 April].”

— Clement of Alexandria (Stromata, I.21; 1913: 333)

Clement’s account highlights the wide range of proposed dates for Jesus’s birth, with 25 December notably absent from the discussion. Of these dates, only those linked to Jesus’s baptism—January 6 or 10—were marked by early liturgical celebrations. 2 An early Gnostic sect, the Basilideans, observed this date because they believed Jesus became the Son of God at His baptism rather than at His birth. 3

Origen of Alexandria, writing approximately fifty years after Clement, makes no reference to the celebration of the Nativity in his list of religious observances (Contra Celsum 8.22). 4 This suggests that Jesus’s birth was of comparatively little theological significance for the first generations of Christians.

Emergence of 6 January in the East

Probably after Origen wrote Contra Celsum in around 248 AD, the Nativity began to be celebrated in the East on 6 January, the same day as the Baptism—referred to as Theophany in the East and Epiphany in the West. The precise reason for choosing this date remains unclear, but the leading theory ties it to a symbolic link with the Annunciation. In Asia Minor, the Annunciation was observed on 6 April (14 Artemisios according to the Macedonian calendar), and by counting forward nine months—the term of a full pregnancy—6 January was reached. 5

The Baptism of Christ by John the Baptist (BnF copte 13 f. 8v)

As we will see later, this combined celebration of the Nativity and Baptism was observed in Egypt and persisted at least until the fifth century AD. According to the Coptic calendar, 6 January corresponds to 11 Tubah (or 10 Tubah in years following a Coptic leap year), marking the unified observance of both the Nativity and Baptism on the same day. 6

Emergence of 25 December in the West

In Rome, 25 December became the date associated with the birth of Jesus. The earliest evidence of the Nativity celebration in Rome appears in the Philocalian Calendar (also known as the Chronograph of 354 AD), which lists 25 December as the date of Jesus’s birth. 7

The choice of 25 December remains a topic of debate, but like 6 January, it was probably calculated based on the date of the Annunciation. 8 In the West, the Annunciation was observed on 25 March rather than 6 April. Counting nine months forward from 25 March yielded 25 December.

The Annunciation (BnF copte 13 f. 136r)

These dates may have been favoured for their cosmic symbolism. Most notably, 25 December coincided with the traditional date of the winter solstice, marking the shortest day of the year. From this point onward, days began to lengthen, symbolising light triumphing over darkness—a fitting metaphor for the birth of Christ as the “Light of the World”.

Ascendancy of 25 December

Whatever the precise reasons for its selection, once 25 December was established as the date of the Nativity, it spread rapidly—first to North Africa and then to the Eastern Church—eventually replacing 6 January as the date for celebrating Jesus’s birth in almost all regions.

The Nativity (BnF copte 13 f. 140v)

Evidence of this transition comes from John Chrysostom, Archbishop of Constantinople, who delivered a homily in 386 AD in Antioch discussing the recent observance of 25 December. His account suggests that the Western date for Christmas was introduced to Antioch around 375 AD:

“Although it is not yet the tenth year since this day [i.e. 25 December] became clear and familiar to us, through your zeal, it has now flourished as though it was given from the beginning many years ago… This day was known from the beginning to those in the West: now it has been brought to us and before the passing of many years, has swiftly shot up, bearing such fruit as you now see – the precincts full and the church packed with the crowd who have gathered together.”

— John Chrysostom (Homily on the Date of Christmas, I)

In Egypt, traditions associated with 6 January persisted a while longer. John Cassian, writing around 420 AD, and drawing on his personal experiences with the monks of Scetis in the 390s, states:

“In the region of Egypt the following custom is observed according to an ancient tradition: When the day of Epiphany has been celebrated— which the priests of that province understand to be both the day of the Lord’s baptism and that of his birth according to the flesh, meaning that they celebrate the solemnity of each sacrament on this one feast day and not separately as in the Western provinces—a letter from the bishop of Alexandria is sent to all the churches of Egypt.”

— John Cassian, Conferences, 10.ii.1 (Ramsey, 1997: 371)

The first evidence of the Nativity celebrated on 25 December in Egypt is a sermon delivered before Pope Cyril I in Alexandria by Paul of Emesa on 29 Khoiak 149 AM, which is 25 December 432 AD according to the Julian calendar. 9 Soon after, the celebration of the Nativity on 29 Khoiak (= 25 December) seems to have spread all over Egypt. 10 For instance, in the Life of Abraham of Farshut, the sixth-century abbot of the monastery of Pachomius, there is a reference to ⲡϩⲟⲩⲙⲓ̈ⲥⲉ ⲙ̄ⲡϫⲟⲉⲓ̈ⲥ ‘The Birthday of the Lord’: 11

ⲛ̄ⲧⲟϥⲇⲉ ⲡⲡⲉⲧⲟⲩⲁⲁⲃ ⲛⲉϥⲙⲏⲛ ⲉ̄ⲃⲟⲗ ϩ︤ⲙ︥ⲡϣⲱⲛⲉ ⲁⲩⲱ ⲛⲉϥϥⲓ̈ ⲉϩⲣⲁⲓ̈ ϩ︤ⲛ︥ⲟⲩⲙ︤ⲛ︦ⲧ︥ϫⲱⲱⲣⲉ ⲛ̄ⲧⲉⲣⲉϥϩⲱⲛⲇⲉ ⲉϩⲟⲩⲛ ⲛ̄ϭⲓ̈ⲡϩⲟⲩⲙⲓ̈ⲥⲉ ⲙ̄ⲡϫⲟⲉⲓ̈ⲥ ⲁϥⲉ̄ⲡⲓ̈ⲑⲩⲙⲉⲓ̈ ⲉ̄ϥⲓ̈ ⲛ̄ⲧⲁⲛⲁⲫⲟⲣⲁ ϩ︤ⲙ︥ⲡⲉϩⲟⲟⲩ ⲉⲧ︤ⲙ︥ⲙⲁⲩ ⲛⲉⲧⲉϥϩⲁⲏ̄ⲅⲁⲣ ⲧⲉ

“And the saint continued in the illness and endured with strength. And as the Birthday of the Lord approached, he wanted to make the eucharistic offering on that day for it was his last.”

— Life of Abraham of Farshut, XII.1 (Goehring, 2012: 86, 88)

25 December eventually became the universally recognised date for celebrating the Nativity, except in Armenia, where 6 January continues to commemorate both Jesus’ birth and baptism. As a result, in most regions, 6 January—corresponding to 19 January in the Gregorian calendar—became exclusively associated with Jesus’ baptism, celebrated as Epiphany or Theophany.

Gregorian reform and its impact

For around 1,000 years, the Feast of the Nativity was celebrated on the same day in both East and West: 25 December in the Julian calendar, corresponding to 29 Khoiak in the Coptic calendar. 12

This accord changed in 1582 AD when Pope Gregory XIII introduced the Gregorian calendar reform to address inaccuracies in the Julian system. 13 Under the reform, 4 October 1582 AD was immediately followed by 15 October 1582 AD, effectively skipping 10 days to realign 21 March with the spring equinox. The primary goal was to correct the drift of the Julian calendar, which was affecting the calculation of Easter. To prevent future drift, the leap year rule of the Julian calendar was modified: centennial years would no longer be leap years unless divisible by 400. 14

The beginning of the papal bull Inter Gravissimas promulgated by Pope Gregory XIII on 24 February 1582 AD (adapted from source)

The reform was swiftly adopted in Catholic countries, but Protestant countries resisted. The United Kingdom and its colonies did not adopt the Gregorian calendar until September 1752 AD. Consequently, for several centuries, Christians in the West celebrated Christmas on different days depending on whether they followed the Julian or Gregorian calendar.

The Julian and Coptic calendars, retaining the original leap-year rule, continued to drift behind the Gregorian calendar by one additional day every century (except those divisible by 400). By 1900 AD, this discrepancy had grown to 13 days, meaning that 25 December in the Julian calendar, corresponded to 7 January in the Gregorian calendar.

Thus, at present, the Nativity is celebrated by the Coptic Orthodox Church on 7 January according to the Gregorian calendar. 15 Western churches, however, observe the feast on 25 December according to the same calendar.

This difference will continue to widen: from the year 2100 AD (1817 AM in the Coptic calendar), the Gregorian calendar will be 14 days ahead of the Julian and Coptic. Thus, 29 Khoiak in the Coptic calendar will correspond to 8 January in the Gregorian calendar—though it will always remain 25 December in the Julian reckoning. 16

The Nativity in practice today

As we have seen, the Coptic Orthodox Church celebrates the Feast of the Nativity on 29 Khoiak, which corresponds to 7 January in the Gregorian calendar. This celebration is preceded by the Nativity Fast, or Advent, a 43-day period of fasting that begins on 16 Hatur. 17 The fast culminates with Paramone, a strict fast observed on the day—or, depending on the calendar and day of the week, multiple days—immediately preceding the Nativity. The earliest exposition of this practice comes from Pope Christodoulos of Alexandria, writing in the eleventh century: 18

“Likewise, the Fast of the Holy Nativity shall be [counting exclusively] from the Feast of St Mena on the fifteenth day of Hatur (11 November) to the twenty-ninth day of Khoiak (25 December).”

— Canons of Christodoulos, 15 (Adly, 2021: 20)

However, in current practice, in years following a Coptic leap year, the Feast of the Nativity is observed on both 28 Khoiak and 29 Khoiak, corresponding to 7 and 8 January in the Gregorian calendar. As a result, the Nativity Fast is shortened by one day. The origins of this practice remain unclear, as there are no known explicit references to it in the writings of the Church Fathers or any canonical texts of the Coptic Church before the Middle Ages. 19

The reason for this practice may lie in the Western origin of the date for the Nativity. It is plausible that when Egypt adopted 25 December from the West, it anchored the date using the Julian calendar rather than the Coptic calendar. In the year following a Coptic leap year, due to the addition of an intercalary day on 6 Nasi, 25 December in the Julian calendar corresponds to 28 Khoiak rather than 29 Khoiak in the Coptic calendar. Observing the Feast on both 28 and 29 Khoiak in these years may reflect a desire to maintain alignment with the Western date of the Nativity, while also preserving the traditional Coptic observance on 29 Khoiak—the latter perhaps being a later adjustment.

The explanation offered by the Church, however, provides a slightly different rationale, rejecting the primacy of the Julian date. According to this view, the reason the Feast of the Nativity is celebrated on 28 Khoiak in years following a Coptic leap year is to preserve the tradition of the Virgin’s pregnancy lasting exactly nine months, reckoned as 275 days. Since the addition of the intercalary day (6 Nasi) would extend the period by one day, if the Nativity were observed on 29 Khoiak, this would result in a 276-day gestation, which would be inappropriate. Notably, the 275-day period itself assumes the Julian calendar as its basis, reflecting the nine-month interval between 25 March and 25 December.

HE Youssef, Metropolitan of the Southern United States, explains the Coptic Orthodox Church’s position on the reason for the celebration of the Nativity on both 28 and 29 Khoiak on years following the Coptic leap year (in Arabic).

As to the celebration of the Nativity on 28 Khoiak following a Coptic leap year, references appear relatively late. The earliest is the Copto-Arabic Synaxarium, composed in Arabic no earlier than the twelfth century, which under the entry for 29 Khoiak reads: 20

“On this day we celebrate again [i.e. as well as 28 Kiahk] the Feast of the Glorious Birth of Our Lord Jesus the Messiah, because the Fathers, the Doctors of the Church agreed to dedicate two days to the Holy Birth. Indeed, it took place at the end of the 28th of Kiahk and on the day of the 29th; and also, because, in leap years, the Nativity falls on the 28th of Kiahk, and in non-leap years, on the 29th, they wished to dedicate the two days in honour of this Holy Feast.”

— Copto-Arabic Synaxarium, 29 Khoiak (Basset, 1909: 537-538)

The Synaxarium also refers to 28 Khoiak as the Feast of the Glorious Birth of Our Lord Jesus the Messiah, suggesting that 28 and 29 Khoiak should be observed for the Nativity every year not only following the Coptic leap year. A similar entry is found in the Ethiopian Synaxarium for both days. 21

Finally, there is a Psali from the Psalmody of the Feast of Nativity that includes the verse:

ϣⲱⲣⲡ ⲙ̀ⲡ̀ϫⲓⲛⲙⲓⲥⲓ: ϫⲟⲩⲧ ⲯⲓⲧ ⲛ̀ⲭⲟⲓⲁⲕ: ϧⲉⲛ ϯⲣⲟⲙⲡⲓ ⲛ̀ⲕⲉⲡⲓⲥ: ϫⲟⲩⲧ ϣ̀ⲙⲏⲛ ⲛ̀ⲉ̀ϩⲟⲟⲩ

“The start of the Nativity is 29 Kiahk and in a leap year is on the 28th day.”

— Adam Psali on the Monday Theotokia (St Mary and Archangel Michael Coptic Orthodox Church, Houston, undated: 11)

The date of the composition is unknown, though probably very late, judging from the composition of the Coptic text which shows heavy Arabic influence. Nevertheless, it alludes to a celebration of the Nativity on 28 Khoiak on leap years. 22

Conclusion

Once Christians had reached near-unanimous agreement to celebrate the Nativity on 25 December—a date originating in Rome and gradually spreading throughout the Christian world—the birth of Jesus was commemorated on the same day universally, minor variations related to leap years notwithstanding.

This unity persisted until Pope Gregory XIII introduced the Gregorian calendar reform in the sixteenth century. The reform created a new division, separating those who retained the Julian calendar (and its derivatives, like the Coptic calendar) from those who adopted the Gregorian calendar. Catholic countries were the first to adopt the new system, followed later by Protestant nations and eventually by some Orthodox churches.

The Coptic Orthodox Church, however, never adopted the Gregorian calendar. Along with the Oriental Orthodox Churches of Ethiopia and Eritrea, as well as several Eastern Orthodox churches, it continues to celebrate the Nativity on 25 December according to the Julian calendar, corresponding to 28/29 Khoiak in the Coptic calendar, which aligns with 7 January in the Gregorian calendar.

Featured image

This Nativity scene, discovered in 1984 in a wall painting in the sanctuary of Takla Haymanot at the Hanging Church in Old Cairo, dates to the late thirteenth or early fourteenth century. 23

In the scene, the Virgin Mary is reclining, while Jesus lies in an elaborate manger, wrapped in swaddling clothes, and flanked by an ox and an ass. To the Virgin’s left, is a figure likely representing Joseph, of whom only the halo remains. Above is the star in the East (ⲡⲓⲥⲟ[ⲟ]ⲩ), accompanied by angels.

Salome (ⲥⲟⲗⲟⲙⲏ) the midwife, known only from apocryphal texts, is seen attending to the Virgin. To the far right, a figure, likely the Prophet Isaiah holds a scroll inscribed with a version of Isaiah 7:14, also referenced in Matthew 1:23. Notably, the text does not correspond to the Bohairic version of these verses and is likely paraphrased to suit the scene:

ϩⲏⲡⲡⲉ ⲓⲥ ⲧⲓⲡ[ⲁ]ⲣⲑⲉⲛⲟⲥ ⲛⲉ ⲉⲣⲃⲟⲕⲓ ⲉⲥⲛⲁⲙ[ⲓ]ⲥ̣[ⲓ] ⲛⲟⲩϣ[ⲏ]ⲣⲓ

“Behold the virgin was pregnant and about to give birth to a son.”

References

Footnotes

  1. Here as in the following, Western dates are given according to the Julian calendar unless otherwise specified. Clement gives his dates according to the Alexandrian (or Coptic) calendar. ↩︎
  2. It is interesting to consider that the differing dates mentioned by Clement of Alexandria—6 January and 10 January—might reflect variations in calendar usage among the Basilideans. One group may have used the newer Alexandrian calendar, which incorporated a leap year every four years like the Julian calendar, while another adhered to the older Egyptian calendar, which lacked leap years and persisted in rural areas for some time. If this hypothesis is correct, it would place the establishment of the Basilidean celebration approximately 16 years before Clement’s writing around 200 AD. This corresponds to the period required for the Egyptian calendar to drift four days relative to the Alexandrian (and Julian) calendar due to the absence of intercalary adjustments. ↩︎
  3. See Bradshaw (2020: 4). ↩︎
  4. See Bradshaw (2020: 4). Archbishop Basilios (1991) claims that Origen mentions celebrations of the Nativity, Epiphany, Resurrection, and Pentecost. However, this interpretation is inaccurate. The text states: “If anyone makes a rejoinder to this by talking of our observances on certain days, the Lord’s Day which we keep, or the Preparation, or the Passover, or Pentecost, we would reply…” (Chadwick, 1953: 468). Here, it is evident that “the Lord’s Day” refers to Sunday, and “the Preparation” designates Friday, with no mention of the Nativity or Epiphany. ↩︎
  5. This is known as the Calculation (or Computation) hypothesis. An alternative, but altogether less plausible argument, known as the History of Religions hypothesis argues that 6 January was chosen to replace a pre-existing ancient Egyptian pagan festival celebrated on the same day. For more on these two competing hypotheses, see Bradshaw (2020). Perhaps another possibility is that the date took hold, at least in Egypt, because of its early adoption by the Basilideans, who according to Epiphanius of Salamis (Panarion, I.24; Williams, 2009: 75f) had a large following, especially in the Delta. ↩︎
  6. It’s unclear whether following a Coptic leap year, the day was celebrated a day earlier to align with the Julian calendar date of 6 January or whether it was always celebrated on 11 Tubah. As we will see, even for the modern celebration of Nativity this is not entirely clear. ↩︎
  7. See Bradshaw (2020: 7-8). ↩︎
  8. See Bradshaw (2020) for the alternative History of Religions hypothesis, which argues that 25 December was chosen to replace the pagan festival of Sol Invictus in Rome. ↩︎
  9. See Talley (1986: 141) who also suggests that the adoption of 25 December in Alexandria as a distinct date from the date of Theophany, occurring as it did immediately after the Council of Ephesus (431 AD), may have been motivated by Christological concerns. ↩︎
  10. See Paul (2024) for examples. ↩︎
  11. The precise date of the Nativity is not given in the text. However, 6 January cannot have been meant because the next section describes subsequent events occurring on 6 Tubah (i.e. 1 January) (Goehring, 2012: 87/89). Therefore, in all probability, the date of the Nativity referred to here is 29 Khoiak (i.e. 25 December). ↩︎
  12. The correspondence between the Julian and Coptic calendars is consistent for the most part. However, in the year following a Coptic leap year, 25 December in the Julian calendar corresponds to 28 Khoiak rather than 29 Khoiak in the Coptic calendar. This discrepancy arises because, although both the Julian and Coptic calendars insert an intercalary day every four years, they do so at different points in the year. The Julian calendar places the leap day at the end of the second month, 29 February, while the Coptic calendar adds its leap day at the very end of the year, on 6 Nasi.
    As a result, since the Coptic leap year directly precedes the Julian leap year, the Coptic calendar is one day ahead of the Julian calendar from its leap day on 6 Nasi (29 August) to the Julian leap day on 29 February (4 Baramhat). This arrangement, which repeats every four years, ensures that both calendars remain aligned for the majority of the cycle—approximately 7/8ths of the four-year period. This plan was almost certainly by design to maximise the overlap between the two calendars. ↩︎
  13. For a detailed discussion of the Gregorian calendar and the reform that brought it about, see Richards (1998: 239-256). ↩︎
  14. Thus years 1600 and 2000 remain leap years but 1700, 1800, and 1900 do not. As a result, every 400-year cycle, the Gregorian calendar has three fewer leap years than the Julian calendar. Therefore, whereas the average length of the Julian year is 365 + (100 ÷ 400) = 365.25, the average length of the Gregorian year is 365 + (97 ÷ 400) = 365.2425, which is much closer to the length of the topical (solar) year of 365.2422. ↩︎
  15. Ethiopian, Eritrean, Russian, and other Eastern Orthodox Churches ↩︎
  16. Of course, the correspondences for years following the Coptic leap year are 9 January and 26 December respectively. ↩︎
  17. For a detailed study of the Pre-Nativity Fast, see Paul (2024). ↩︎
  18. Adly (2021: 20). ↩︎
  19. As far as I have been able to ascertain; further research may yield some relevant references. ↩︎
  20. See Burmester (1938), though only a study of the various manuscripts can determine if the relevant section dates to this time or later. ↩︎
  21. For the entry for 29 Tâkhshâsh, see Budge (1928: 421). O’Leary (1937: 43) says: “In leap year [the Nativity is] on 28 Kihak[;] other years on 29 Kihak, hence celebrated for two days.” ↩︎
  22. Presumably, here as in the Synaxarium, the year following the leap year is intended unless the reference is to the corresponding Julian year, which would indeed be a leap year. ↩︎
  23. See Gabra & Eaton-Krauss (2004: 230) and Tomoum et al. (2010: 138-141). The image is taken from the former. ↩︎
Cite this page:
Boles, A. “Why is Coptic Christmas celebrated on 7 January?” The Coptist, 5 January 2025; Available at: https://www.coptist.com/2025/01/05/why-is-coptic-christmas-celebrated-on-7-january/. (Accessed: 15 October 2026).

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