PEOPLE that live on a remote island with only 30 inhabitants won’t celebrate Christmas for another two weeks and they’re not the only ones.
Foula in Shetland is one of the UK’s most remote islands where residents still adhere to a version of the Julian calendar.
A small remote island in Scotland doesn’t celebrate Christmas until JanuaryGetty Images – Getty
Getty – ContributorThe island is home to only 30 people and was the last place to speak Norse language[/caption]
AlamyThe islanders still adhere to the Julian calendar that was invented by Julius Caesar[/caption]
While most of the world celebrated Christmas on the 25th based on the Gregorian calendar, the Foula will host celebrations on January 7.
The Gregorian calendar is named after Pope Gregory XIII, who introduced it in October 1582, but it wasn’t adopted in Great Britain until 1752.
But the Foula stuck with the Julian calendar and continue to use it to this day.
According to Julian calendar, Yule or Christmas will be on January 7 and Newerday, most known as New Year, will be a week later.
The islanders were also one of the last people in the world to speak Norn, a form of old Norse language which died out around 1800.
Norn disappeared when majority of the native speakers died due to smallpox and the island was repopulated by English-speaking Shetlanders.
The Foula residents traditionally gather in one house to celebrate Christmas in January where they will exchange gifts and greetings.
But they insist it is “everybody else” who are different.
One islander said: “It is not just part of our tradition but the world’s. It is everybody else who changed, not us.
“We are not unique. Other parts of the world, such as areas of Russia, still celebrate the old calendar.”
Christian orthodox, predominantly the ones living in Russia, also celebrate the birth of Jesus in January and use Julian calendar.
And so does the Berber tribe in Northern Africa.
Julian calendar was invented by Roman emperor Julius Caesar at around 45 BC, replacing the Roman Calendar used before it.
It was used for more than 16 centuries and followed the Earth‘s journey around the sun.
The isolated island of Foula lies roughly 20 miles off the west coast of Shetland, and has been described as a “hard island for hard people”.
There is no wi-fi, no pubs or bars, there is not even a shop to buy basic supplies from, and the islanders rely wholly on air or sea deliveries.
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