Orthodox believers mark Christmas Eve and prepare for Christmas, one of the main Christian holidays - Christmas, which is celebrated on January 7.

Axar.az reports citing TASS.

Christmas Eve also marks the end of the 40-day fast.

"On this day the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia Kirill will lead the Divine Liturgy at the Christ the Savior’s Cathedral. One hour before midnight the head of the Russian Orthodox Church is to start the Christmas service, which will be broadcast live by central TV channels," Alexander Volkov, spokesman for the Patriarch, told TASS.

As a rule, such ceremonies are attended by the country’s top officials. Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev usually turns out at the Cathedral of Christ the Savior. President Vladimir Putin has another tradition for Christmas: on this day he usually attends a service in one of the regions of Russia.

The festive services will be conducted on the night of January 6-7 and in the morning of January 7 in more than 30,000 churches of the Russian Orthodox Church throughout the world. Georgian, Serbian, Jerusalem and Polish Orthodox churches also celebrate Christmas on January 6-7.