Christmas in Russia then return home for the traditional Christmas Eve "Holy Supper", which consists of 12 dishes, one to honour each of the Twelve Apostles. Devout families will then return to church for the "всенощная" All Night Vigil. Then again, on Christmas Morning, for the "заутренняя" Divine Liturgy of the Nativity. Since 1992 Christmas has become a national holiday in Russia, as part of the ten-day holiday at the start of every new year. In Russia, the Christmas holiday has become the official celebration with the baptism of Rus' ordered by Prince Vladimir in the late 10th century. However, given the early
Christmas Eve filed a lawsuit under the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment. The trial court dismissed the lawsuit, which was upheld on appeal. In 1969, the United States Postal Service issued a stamp (Scott# 1371) commemorating the Apollo 8 flight around the moon. The stamp featured a detail of the famous photograph, "Earthrise", of the Earth "rising" over the moon (NASA image AS8-14-2383HR), taken by Anders on Christmas Eve, and the words, "In the beginning God..." Christmas Eve Christmas Eve is the evening or entire day before Christmas Day, the festival commemorating the birth of Jesus. Christmas Day is observed around