Orthodox believers marked the New Year’s on the Julian calendar last night. Many municipalities and towns in the Republika Srpska organized celebrations and believers had the opportunity to enjoy concerts in Trebinje, Novi Grad, Gradiska, and on Jahorina Mountain.
In Banja Luka, a reception was organized in the Temple of Christ the Savior and the New Year’s program was held in front of the temple.
Exactly at midnight, there was a prayer for the Orthodox New Year.
The Old New Year or the Orthodox New Year is an informal traditional holiday, celebrated as the start of the New Year by the Julian calendar. In the 20th and 21st centuries, the Old New Year falls on January 14 in the Gregorian calendar. The same day is celebrated in India as the sun ends its southward journey and starts moving northward: Makar Sankranti.
This traditional dating of the New Year is sometimes colloquially called “Orthodox” because it harks back to a time when governments in Russia and Eastern Europe used the Julian Calendar, which is still used by some jurisdictions of the Orthodox Church. The Orthodox Church’s liturgical year actually begins in September.
