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Next: 7 Jan 2027

Coptic Christmas

Christmas for Orthodox Christians in Egypt, kept after a 43-day fast with a midnight mass and a feast of meat.

A pattern drawn for this day, not a photograph.

When is Coptic Christmas in 2027?

Coptic Christmas 2027 is on Thursday, 7 January 2027. Other years: 2026, Wednesday, 7 January 2026; 2028, Friday, 7 January 2028.

About Coptic Christmas

The Coptic Orthodox Church celebrates Christmas on 7 January, which is 29 Kiahk in the Coptic calendar, because it follows the Julian reckoning. The 43 days before are a vegan fast, called the Nativity Fast, and on Christmas Eve, churches hold a long midnight liturgy, often lasting until the early hours, with hymns, chanting and readings in Coptic and Arabic. The president of Egypt attends the service at the cathedral in Cairo, and the day has been a public holiday since 2002. After the mass, families break the fast with a rich meal of meat, with dishes like fatta, rice, bread and broth topped with garlic and vinegar, and kahk, biscuits dusted with sugar. Homes have a tree and lights, and people greet one another with "Kol sana wenta tayeb".

Coptic Christmas dates: 2026, 2027, 2028

YearCoptic Christmas date
2026Wednesday, 7 January 2026
2027Thursday, 7 January 2027
2028Friday, 7 January 2028

What is eaten

  • fatta
  • kahk
  • roast meat

Traditions of Coptic Christmas

Nativity FastThe fast before the day.

Also part of it, and being written: Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria (The church of most Egyptian Christians.), Fatta (The dish of the breaking of the fast.).

About this page

Written by the EveryParampara desk with AI assistance. Background: "Christmas in Egypt" on Wikipedia. Customs differ from place to place and family to family. If this is your tradition and we have it wrong, tell us.

Photo credits on this page

The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.

The weekly EveryParampara

Every week: one tradition from somewhere new, what is being celebrated around the world this week, and one idea explained.