Orthodox Russians celebrate Christmas.

MOSCOW, January 7 (Itar-Tass) - Orthodox Russians are celebrating
Christmas on Thursday, January 7. The Nativity of Jesus Christ ushered in
a new era in the history of mankind two thousand and ten years ago.
Orthodox Christians will mark the Saviour's arrival for another 12
days until the Epiphany (January 19).

In the beginning of the 21st century the Russian Orthodox Church has
about 30,000 churches and more than 800 monasteries. The beginning of the
year will be marked by the consecration of a new Orthodox church in
Nagoya, Japan, on January 11.
The Orthodox Church of Jerusalem as well as the Serbian and Georgian
Orthodox Churches also celebrate Christmas on January 7.
A Christmas service was held in the Basilica of the Nativity in
Bethlehem, the birthplace of Jesus Christ. A Russian liturgy that was
attended by members of the Russian Orthodox Mission in Jerusalem and
Russian pilgrims was held in the Basilica a week before Christmas.
In Moscow Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia Kirill led the night
Christmas service. He and Metropolitan Yuvenaliy will conduct the
Christmas Evening Prayer in the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour at 16:00
Moscow time.
In his Christmas message to the Russians Patriarch Kirill urged the
Russians to mediate over the significance of the historical event that
ushered in a new era in the history of mankind.
A Christmas night service devoted to the Nativity of Jesus Christ was
held in the Church of the Assumption of Our Lady located in the territory
of the Russian Embassy in Beijing.
The church was built in the territory of the Russian Orthodox Mission
in China in the early 20th century. Later, the church was destroyed. It
was rebuilt and consecrated in October 2009. Russian Prime Minister
Vladimir Putin was present at the opening ceremony. He presented two icons
to the church.
Father Meletiy and Priest Alexey Dyuka led the Christmas liturgy
which, alongside with Russians, was attended by Ukrainians, Serbs,
Bulgarians, Greeks, Romanians and Orthodox Christians from the United
States and France who reside in Beijing.
Christmas is being marked in Abkhazia where Christmas is a day off.
Orthodox god believers had gathered in the Annunciation Cathedral in
Sukhum for the night Christmas service by midnight on Wednesday, January 6.
Fahter Vissarion Apliaa, the head of the Abkhazian Orthodox Church,
told Itar-Tass that over the past ten years more and more people of
different age had been coming to the church on Christmas night to pray.
"The outgoing 2009 became significant both for secular Abkhazia and
for its Orthodox parish. The restoration of the Abkhazian Orthodox Church
began last year for the first time since 1795," Father Apliaa said. He
added that many Orthodox families in Abkhazia had lit candles near their
windows on Christmas night, symbolically inviting the Mother of God to
enter their homes.

.Ultra nationalist leader prevented from going on air in Ukraine.

DONETSK, Eastern Ukraine, January 7 (Itar-Tass) - Representatives of
the Crimean socio-political movement "Russian Unity", the Soyuz party, the
Communist party and other public organizations picketed the office of the
Krym (the Crimea) State Television Company in Donetsk on Wednesday. They
prevented Ukrainian ultra nationalist leader Oleg Tyagnibok, who is
running for president of Ukraine, from going on air.
More than 200 policemen, Cossacks and fighters from the Berkut special
unit guarded law and order. Tyagnibok didn't come to the building of the
TV Company, which ran only his election clip.
However, the situation was more dramatic in Sevastopol. Tyagnibok had
to enter a small hall where he was supposed to meet his electorate from
the back door under police protection.
"The number of those who protested against Tyagnibok's visit
significantly surpassed the number of his supporters. Out of 600 seats in
the hall only about a hundred were occupied. Tyagnibok had brought 80
voters with himself," Andrei Merkulov, a deputy of the Sevastopol City
Council, told Itar-Tass.


.Record snowfalls expected on Russian Christmas day.


MOSCOW, January 7 (Itar-Tass) - A Christmas snowfall in Moscow may
become a record one. Eleven millimetres of snow may fall out in the
capital on January 7, 2010.
Weather forecasters say that the heaviest snowfall on January 7 was
registered in 1999. Eleven millimetres of snow fell out in the course of
24 hours. The weather was warm: around zero degrees Celsius. Eight
millimetres of snow fell out in 1982. The temperature was minus 20
degrees Centigrade.
The weathermen have drawn conclusions for the first week of January.
It turned out to be cold in Moscow in 2010. But cold and frosty weather in
the first week of January is nothing new in the Russian capital. Over half
a century 40 years saw temperatures drop lower than ten degrees
Centigrade. The duration of winter frosts varied from year to year. The
weather stayed cold for seven days only in 1954, 1979 and 1987, according
to meteonovosti.ru website.
In the meantime, the Russian Ministry for Emergency Situations is
warning that heavy snowfalls may cause emergency situations in the Central
Federal District, including Moscow, on January 7- 8.

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