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Christmas is just around the corner: a time when the birth of Jesus, the key figure in Christianity, is celebrated. This festivity therefore, has a pronounced religious element. For Christians, Jesus is, most importantly, the son of God who was made man, who gave his life to redeem humanity and who rose again three days after his death.

But beyond its religious significance, Christmas is also a secular festivity when it is customary to give and receive presents. In fact, the celebration is not limited to just 25 December. In some places it starts much earlier, on 6 December (the Feast of Saint Nicholas), whereas elsewhere it lasts until 6 January, the Feast of the Epiphany.

In Christian countries, Christmas has this double religious-festive significance, regardless of whether the country is predominantly Catholic, Protestant or Orthodox, the three main branches of Christianity. In most Orthodox countries Christmas falls on 7 January, instead of on 25 December. Such is the case of Russia, where the Orthodox church follows the Julian calendar, rather than the Gregorian calendar, the most common in the world.