November 15, 2007 
November 15th, 2006, starts the 40-day Christmas Fasting,
introduced by the Church later than the Holy Fasting for Easter. In
1166 the Patriarch of Constantinople, Luke Chrysoberges, defined the
Christmas Fasting Days to be exactly 40.
The
celebrations of the Holy Nativity
feast became popular around the year of 350 AD in the western Europe,
while in Eastern Europe they were first introduced by St Gregorii
Bogoslov (i.e. St Gregory the Theologian) around 375 – 380 AD. Holy
Nativity was celebrated on a number of different days throughout
Christian world – Dec.25 in the western parts, January 4 in Antiochia,
April 18 or 19 or May 29 in Alexandria, and January 6 or 10 in Asia
Minor…. It was not until the end of the 4th c. AD that these
celebrations were appointed on one day for all the churches (except the
Armenian) - i.e. the date of Dec.25th.