It’s tomorrow you know. There might be a few folks in these parts who will shoot off their guns to acknowledge the day. (I don’t know why, but some do that around here)
Anyway, Happy Old Christmas to ya’ll.
You too Sister…
Happy old year.
Slan,
D. 
And happy new-
Kaaapowwww! since we don’t have a gun shootin’ icon that’s the best I can do. 
Interesting! I thought only the Orthodox Church held to the Julian calendar’s Christmas date, and that it had been otherwise forgotten as such by everyone else. Who’da thunkit.
Shootin’ guns off, though…I like it, for some reason. A rowdy Christmas to you.
It’s mostly a memory around here, back in the sticks, among old folks, and those of us who like the old ways on occasion. Oh, and those who just like any excuse to shoot a gun- lots of that type around here.
Well, that’s some looohohong memory you folks have. The Gregorian reckoning was decreed by the Vatican in the early part of 1582!
You’ve gotta remember that “modern times” did not come to the Appalachians until brought by LBJs Great Society. 
True, and I’d forgotten that.
I’ll let someone around here know that it’s Christmas again, and even with the explanation, they look at me as if I’d just grown two heads.
Bear in mind that the Vatican’s decree wasn’t recognized in England and her American colonies till much later. 1582 was post-Henry VIII, after all.
It’s not a Julian calendar thing. The Orthodox have long held to the date of the Epiphany as the correct date for Christmas, and that was the case throughout much of Europe for a long time. In other words, it’s not that tomorrow is December 25 on one calendar and January 6 on another…it’s that the actual December 25 date is a bone of contention.
In the Western Church, Epiphany Eve (Twelfth Night) is the LAST day of Christmas, and tomorrow is the date to celebrate the arrival of the three kings. It’s not even a “new/old” thing…the proper date for the observance has been in debate for as long as we’ve been celebrating the Nativity.
What this means for me, in practical terms, is my Christmas lights come down tomorrow, and the hangings in the church change color for Mass on Sunday. Now if I could only remember if I need red hangings for Epiphany 1, or if we go straight to green…(I’m on altar guild duty this weekend).
Redwolf
Don’t you mean four heads?
Thought all moderators had two. 
It’s a good idea though, two Christmases, two New Years.
Only drawback, four hangovers. 
I think the Spanish are celebrating Christmas this weekend.
Over here it’s Nollaig Bheag or Little Christmas today and we will finally take down the tree and decorations. The Women go out on the town today and have a day off (hence the alternative name for the day: Nollaig na mBan).
Joseph were an old man,
An old man were he,
He courted Virgin Mary,
In the land of Galilee.
He courted Virgin Mary,
In the land of Galilee.
As Joseph and Mary
Walked through an orchard green,
There were apples and cherries
A-plenty to be seen.
There were apples and cherries
A-plenty to be seen.
Mary spoke to Joseph
So meek and so mild
“Joseph, gather me some cherries
For I am with child.
Joseph, gather me some cherries
For I am with child.”
Then Joseph flew in anger,
In anger he flew;
Let the father of the baby
Gather cherries for you.
Let the father of the baby
Gather cherries for you.
O then bespoke the baby
Within His mother’s womb,
“O bow you down you cherry tree
For My mother to have some.”
O bow you down you cherry tree
For My mother to have some."
The cherry tree bowed down,
It was low to the ground;
And Mary gathered cherries
While Joseph stood around.
And Mary gathered cherries
While Joseph stood around.
Then Joseph took Mary
All on his left knee;
Saying: “Lord have mercy upon me
For what I have done.”
Saying, “Lord have mercy upon me
For what I have done.”
Then Joseph took Mary
All on his right knee;
“Pray tell me, little baby,
When Your birthday shall be.
Pray tell me, little baby,
When Your birthday shall be.”
“On the sixth day of January
My birthday shall be,
When all the stars elements
Shall bow and worship Me.
When all the stars elements
Shall bow and worship Me.”
I looked around for an abc or gif of Old Christmas Morning to post. It’s a weird and crooked archaic old time fiddle tune. I couldn’t find it but you can hear a bit of it played by Mark Campbell. He plays in a style fitting to such antiquated music.
No…they’re celebrating Epiphany. That’s when many children in Hispanic countries receive their gifts (from the Three Kings, though, not from Santa Claus).
Redwolf
Aha! Cherries! The symbolism is not lost on me.
djm
Ah. Gotcha. When I asked my boss how his vacation in Barcelona was going he said “Sh*te. It’s Christmas and everything is closed.”
Hmm. The explanation I’ve gotten from my relatives is that the Julian calendar is reckoned by for liturgical purposes in the Orthodox Church, hence Jan. 6. Possibly they are misinformed of their own history. In any case, it’s definitely not Epiphany that they’re celebrating. For Orthodox believers, Epiphany is celebrated later on, as is Easter compared to the usual time for the rest of us.
Now if I could only remember if I need red hangings for Epiphany 1, or if we go straight to green…(I’m on altar guild duty this weekend).
Tomorrow’s still White for Epiphany I, then next Sunday, it’s Green.
(that’s according to my Episcopal Musician’s Handbook)