Orthodox Christians in Holy Land celebrate Christmas
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Eireneos I, Patriarch of Jerusalem, walks out of the Grotto in the Nativity Church during Christmas celebrations Tuesday.
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BETHLEHEM, West Bank (AP) -- Children donned Santa costumes and Boy Scouts played bagpipes Tuesday as Eastern Orthodox Christians celebrated Christmas Eve at the traditional birthplace of Jesus.
The Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem, Eireneos I, dressed in a red cape with gold embroidery, was kissed and hugged by Bethlehem officials and greeted by a large crowd of residents as he made his way to the Church of the Nativity, escorted by police.
Christmas falls on January 7 for Orthodox Christians in the Holy Land, Russia and other Eastern Orthodox churches that use the old Julian calendar instead of the 16th-century Gregorian calendar adopted by Catholics and Protestants and commonly used in secular life around the world.
Other Orthodox Christians, including Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew -- the spiritual leader of the world's Orthodox -- and the Greek church in Greece and the Americas, celebrated the holiday on December 25.
Eastern Orthodox Christians number more than 200 million worldwide.
For Western churches, January 6 is the Feast of the Epiphany, which celebrates the coming of the three wise men to bring gifts to the infant Jesus.
In Bethlehem on Tuesday, the bearded patriarch lifted a large gold cross to a woman who kissed it before he stooped to enter the small doorway of the stone Church of the Nativity. Inside, children lit candles and priests waved lamps filled with incense.
A checkered Palestinian headscarf covered a wooden chair, representing the absence of Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, who was barred by Israel from traveling to Bethlehem from his compound in nearby Ramallah to participate in the Christmas Eve Mass.
Holiday celebrations were subdued for the fourth year in a row as fighting with Israel continued. The Israeli army has restricted Palestinian travel in most of the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
In the Israeli city of Ramle, Orthodox residents baked cakes and delivered presents to Santa Claus actors, who were to visit homes to deliver the gifts to children.
In Russia, Orthodox believers lit candles and clerics led services Tuesday at churches across the country.
Russian President Vladimir Putin extended his best wishes to everyone marking Christmas, which he called "a joyous and holy holiday that fills people's hearts with faith, hope, love and kindness."
"The activities of the Russian Orthodox Church and other Christian faiths traditional for our country contribute to the promotion of moral values in society," Putin said, according to the Kremlin. "Russian citizens have deep respect for this important work."
