In October 1582 AC Pope Gregory XIII introduced a modified version of the Julian calendar, the one that had become the predominant version since its adoption in 46 BC. Pope Gregory intended to correct the slight difference in the average length of the Julian year and the solar year, since this slight difference had turned into a significant gap over more than a millennium. Due to historical developments, the adoption of the calendar by both Christian and later non-Christian worlds has made the Gregorian calendar the dominant one nowadays. Although a big part of the Eastern Orthodox church has maintained the Julian calendar. This gap, along with some religious differences, has given way to distinct celebrations and holidays in churches of Orthodox tradition and other Christian denominations.

The Christian Orthodox Roma live mostly in Eastern Europe, particularly in countries where it represents the dominant religion, such as Romania, Bulgaria, Serbia, Greece, North Macedonia, Moldova, Ukraine, Russia, Georgia.

Following different calendars for a big period of time, the Orthodox and Catholic churches have developed their versions of some of the biggest holidays. While Catholic Christmas is the 25th of December, most countries with Orthodox religious majority celebrate it on the 7th of January. Although, there is further division among different countries of Orthodox tradition.Therefore, the date of celebration for the Orthodox Roma strongly depends on where they live.

The New Years, coinciding with Saint Basil’s day, is celebrated by the Orthodox Roma mostly according to the Julian calendar on the 14th of January, often named Vasilica. There are different Roma legends that explain the reasons for the celebration. One of legends praises Saint Basil for saving all Roma from drowning by sending them a flock of geese, explaining the importance of the poultry for the Vasilica feast. Elena Marushiakova puts forward another connection of the holiday with the Bulgarian celebration of Evtimya or Petlyovden (“the day of the rooster”). She tells about one of the Roma beliefs about the origins of the festivity. According to the legend, this day commemorates the role of Saint Vasil, an old Roma, during the Ottoman rule when the Turks collected the “blood tax” by taking away a young boy from a local family and marking their houses red. Vasil had the idea of using the blood of a rooster to mark the houses before the Turks’ arrival in order to save the young boys. This explains the significance of sacrificing the rooster for some Roma celebrations of Vasilica. The festivities might last for a few days and they involve generous feasts. The first person to enter the house on the day of the New Years is given a big importance and, believed to bring luck and well-being to the family.

Another clear example of the fusion of different practices is the celebration of Bibijako Djive, an important festivity particularly for the Orthodox Roma population in Serbia. The holiday is dedicated to Bibi, a protector and a healer of the family and children. The date of the holiday varies; different communities celebrate either on the 31st of January or the third Friday of the Lent period before Easter. On the day of Bibijako Djive Roma gather in a holy place, often a space around a tree; they bring gifts and pray for Bibi’s health. Before the festivity they clean and tidy their houses, believing that Bibi protects the ones that respect her and punishes those that mock her or are disorderly. Bibi is a non-canonized saint in Christian Orthodoxy, although a priest is present at the celebrations to say the prayers.

The origins of the holiday is not very clear. Ethnographic literature provides the cases of the celebration since the beginning of the 20th century. The meaning of “Bibi” (signifying aunt in Romani language) has brought many to believe that the Roma have adopted the practice from the Serbian beliefs regarding cholera that was thought to be a woman. Because of the verbal taboo, the Serbs have named the disease “Tetka” also meaning an “aunt”. Since then many legends have been recorded regarding Bibi, her miracles and punishments. The significance of the saint is also demonstrated by the fact that one of the first Roma organizations in Serbia established in 1935 was named after her - “Society of the Belgrade Gypsies, celebrating the Aunt Bibija”. The Roma community even built a church building near Belgrade dedicated to the saint in the 20th century.

A related festivity can be found in the town of Vidin of Bulgaria. The day of Athanasius, celebrated on the 31st of January according to the Julian calendar, is dedicated to chasing away of the plague and other diseases. On this day masked men go on a little tour in the Roma neighborhood, visiting homes and tapping the householders with a decorated cornel twig, wishing them health. The celebration includes an open feast in the center of the neighborhood, leaving the leftovers later for Bibija.

The Christian Orthodox tradition is rich with diverse celebrations. The festivities as parts of the religious faith and the cultural heritage are important elements of the Orthodox church, and, therefore, the identity of the Roma community that follow this tradition.