Christians celebrate Christmas

Chisinau, Dec. 24 /MOLDPRES/- Christians celebrate Birth of God today. The Christmas holiday marks the birth of Christ more than two thousand years ago. Today, Christmas is celebrated by believers following the Gregorian calendar. The old-style Christmas will be celebrated on January 7.
Christmas is the most important Christian holiday and is celebrated all over the country. It is part of the 12 feasts of the Byzantine Churches. Since the beginning of the 20th century, Christmas has also become a secular holiday, marked by both Christians and non-Christians. Christmas is the time when all family members gather around the Christmas tree. At the same time, Christmas is the holiday for which ancestral traditions, sacredly preserved by our ancestors, are revived and brought up to date. Practices and customs differ, depending on the geographical and ethnological area, but the essence remains the same.
In the Republic of Moldova, one of the oldest Christmas traditions is keeping the light.
One of the main customs of Christmas is caroling. Traditionally, the custom of caroling in Moldova is practiced only by boys, lads, who carol on Christmas day. Winter carols are sung ritual texts dedicated to Christmas and New Year.