Day of Creation/Beginning of the church year

According to Jewish tradition, the world was created on 1 September. In the Orthodox churches of the Byzantine tradition, the church year therefore does not begin on the first Sunday of Advent, as in the Roman rite, but on 1 September, although usually according to the Julian calendar. According to the Gregorian calendar, this is celebrated on 14 September. On this day, the Orthodox churches of the Byzantine tradition commemorate the responsibility of Christians for creation.

The idea has also spread from Orthodoxy to Western churches. When the Ecumenical Patriarch Dimitrios of Constantinople invited all Orthodox Christians in 1989 to remember God's creation on 1 September, his call was taken up not only by Orthodox Christians but also by ecumenical gatherings of representatives of Christian churches and communities, such as the third European ecumenical gathering in Sibiu in 2007. In Germany, the Working Group of Christian Churches, the ACK, has warmed to the idea, which is why 1 September has been celebrated as a special Day of Creation since 2010. Pope Francis adopted the initiative for the Catholic churches in 2015. In 2021, the Roman Pope, the Patriarch of Constantinople, and the head of the Anglican Community, Archbishop Justin Welby of Canterbury, issued a joint appeal to humanity to preserve God's creation. Since these initiatives, more and more Western communities have followed the calls and celebrated 1 September as Creation Day.