Old Calendarists facts for kids

Old Calendarists are groups of Christians, mostly from the Eastern Orthodox Church, who follow an older way of calculating their religious holidays. They use the Julian calendar for their church calendar, which is different from the Gregorian calendar that most of the world uses today.

What Are Old Calendarists?

The term "Old Calendarists" usually refers to two main types of Eastern Orthodox churches:

• Some churches have always used the Julian calendar. This means their holidays are celebrated on different dates compared to those using the Gregorian calendar. For example, from 1900 to about 2100, their Christmas or Easter might be about thirteen days later than on the modern calendar.
• Other churches or smaller groups decided to switch back to the Julian calendar during the 20th century. They had previously adopted the newer Gregorian calendar but later returned to the older one.

Other Churches Using the Julian Calendar

It's not just Eastern Orthodox churches that use the Julian calendar for their religious dates. A few other Christian groups also follow it:

• Some Oriental Orthodox Churches use it.
• The Assyrian Church of the East also follows the Julian calendar for its religious celebrations.

Why Do They Use an Old Calendar?

The main reason Old Calendarists use the Julian calendar is because they believe it is the traditional and correct calendar for church life. They feel that changing to the Gregorian calendar, which was introduced much later, would be a break from ancient church practices and traditions. For them, keeping the old calendar is a way to stay true to their faith's history.

Images for kids

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  This image shows a newspaper report from 1925 about an event called the "Apparition of the Holy Cross" over the Greek Old Calendarist Monastery of St. John the Theologian in Hymettus.

See also

In Spanish: Ortodoxos veterocalendaristas para niños