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Most people in Russia celebrate Christmas to Orthodox calendar

Only six percent of Russian citizens, who live mostly in Moscow and St.Petersburg, said they would celebrate Catholic Christmas on December 25

MOSCOW, December 25. /TASS/. Every seventh out of ten respondents (72%) polled by the All-Russia Fund for Studies of Public Opinion (VTSIOM) are going to celebrate Christmas due on January 7 according to the Orthodox calendar. The number of Orthodox believers who will celebrate Christmas on January 7 is even higher — 87%

Only six percent of Russian citizens, who live mostly in Moscow and St.Petersburg, said they would celebrate Catholic Christmas on December 25.

Most of the respondents will celebrate Christmas with their families at home (57%). Every ten respondents polled said they would go to church on Christmas. The rest will either serve their dinner table as they do on gala occasions (8%) or will visit their friends and relatives at home. Around 10% of the respondents polled said they were going to tell fortunes or do some "kolyada " — an ancient custom of house to-house singing and merry-making.

A few "unlucky" ones said they would have to work on Christmas. Many said they would give a call to their relatives and friends to wish them happy Christmas.

Almost half of the respondents (53%) do not think that Catholic and Orthodox Christmas should be celebrated on one and the same day as a common Christmas holiday. But every ten respondents said that it was time for Christian believers to come to terms, with more support to the idea given by respondents of advanced age, rather than young people (18 and 8%, respectively). Approximately 30% said they do not care.

The poll was conducted in 132 settlements and 46 regions and districts of the Russian Federation on December 20-21 during which 1,600 people were interviewed.