old christmas the rodanthe way

Riding Old Buck, a part of the tradition of the Rodanthe Old Christmas.
Riding Old Buck, a part of the tradition of the Rodanthe Old Christmas.

A Holiday Tradition with its roots in English history.

More than two and a half centuries after the most of the western world chose December 25 as Christmas, the village of Rodanthe at the north end of Hatteras Island clings to a traditional view that holds Christmas falls in early January. Old Christmas in Rodanthe is a marvelous part of local tradition and Joy Crist, writing for the Island Free Press, tells a wonderful story.

Riding Old Buck, a part of the tradition of the Rodanthe Old Christmas.
Riding Old Buck, a part of the tradition of the Rodanthe Old Christmas.

“Rodanthe will once again be the home base for a local tradition that’s older than the village itself with the upcoming celebration of Old Christmas on January 4.

Held at the Rodanthe-Waves-Salvo Community Building, this full-day affair is a celebration of the island’s deep holiday roots with plenty of fun and entertainment to go around.

Old Christmas technically began centuries ago when word finally spread to the small and lightly inhabited Hatteras Island that England had adopted the Gregorian calendar in 1752, effectively changing Christmas to December 25, and the colonies across the Atlantic were to follow suit.”

To read the complete Island Free Press story, click here.