As Russia only replaced the Julian calendar with the Gregorian calendar after the advent of the Soviet Union, for a long time the Russian calendar was two weeks behind the rest of the world.
Although Russia now runs on the same clocks as everywhere else, religious occasions and festivals are still held according to the Julian calendar, meaning their Christmas is celebrated on January 7.
This year, Phuket’s Russians have their own Russian Orthodox Church in which to mark the occasion. Set among the rubber plantations of Thalang, it is overseen by 26-year-old Father Aleksey Golorin.
Its construction is a remarkable achievement for the estimated 5,000-strong Russian community on the island, especially considering the relatively short time many of them have been in Phuket.
Christmas is an increasingly important festival in modern-day Russia, despite religion and – in effect – Christmas being banned during the time of the Soviet Union. Interestingly, as a result of this, many of the Christmas traditions, such as decorating trees and giving presents, turned into New Year's traditions.
However in recent years, partly owing to attendance at Christmas liturgies by Russian leaders such as Vladamir Putin, Christmas, Santa Claus and Christ have once again become integral to Russian culture.
Father Aleksey, who has been at the Russian Orthodox Church for three months, said, “For Russian people, religion is very important, so wherever they are, they always search for it and seek the church.”
As there is now a sizeable Russian community on the island, with restaurants, shops and even a newspaper – the first Russian edition of The Phuket News is out on January 12 – catering to their needs and interests, it was only going to be a matter of time before a church was built.
“The motherland is very far from here,” said Father Aleksey, “So it’s all the more important to have something like this so that they may have a little piece of home.”
The little bit of home, where Father Aleksey lives with his wife of 4 years Maria and their daughter Sofia, is certainly a magnificent address.
The 'Parish in the name of Holy Life-Giving Trinity on Phuket island', to give it its correct name, is built in the classic cross-shaped plan and topped with a resplendent and distinctive gold dome.
Inside, the splendour continues with walls adorned with images of Christ and Orthodox saints set in a gold wall. One in particular has supposedly already brought a parishioner good luck via the proxy of Father Aleksey – the church’s conduit to God.
“One Russian lady came to us and said that her daughter had contracted dengue fever and her condition was in a critical state. She was taken to Bangkok Hospital where she was getting check ups every day but her condition wasn’t improving”.
Father Aleksey told her to start praying to one of the church’s images of Saint Pantaleon, which she did. On the day of having a complete blood transfusion, the girl suddenly recovered.
There are now six Russian Orthodox churches in Thailand – two in Pattaya, one in Bangkok, one on Koh Samui, one in Ratchaburi and the one here in Phuket.
The church’s beautiful if remote location was the plot of land which the Phuket authorities said could be bought by the Russian community for religious use. It has been bought and is funded soley by Phuket-based Russian investors and residents, having received no funds from either Russian or local Phuket government. The white and gold-topped building stands in striking contrast with the surrounding sea of green.
Asked how local people were responding to such a ‘different’ presence in their community, Father Aleksey smiled and said, “Many of the local people like the building and the architecture and also the songs that we sing. They often come to have a look around.”
Yet its inaccessibility is proving particularly problematic, and a matter that Father Aleksey has given serious thought.
“Most Russians live in the south of the island, so have to travel very far to get here.
“This is a problem for many as they are mainly on income of B20,000 – 30,000 per month and can’t afford the taxi fare of B1,500 to get here and back every Sunday.”
It is for this reason that Father Aleksey is considering introducing a Sunday minibus pick-up service.
The young priest already considers Phuket home, despite it being vastly different to his homeland.
“I was born and raised in Siberia, but grew up in St Petersburg. The weather there was quite different to here though,” he says with a smile.
“I like the Phuket nature and the sea views – this helps me feel closer to God. I like Phuket very much, especially the Sino-Portuguese buildings of Phuket Town.”
Father Aleksey studied Theology at undergraduate level in St Petersburg and is currently in the process of completing a Psychology degree.
“I am studying psychology in order to combine the soul, body and spirituality so that I may help people in every way possible.”
He believes that although the tools by which ‘conduits to God’ such as himself learn nowadays have changed, the reasons that people still seek guidance from religion have remained constant.
And despite the younger generation of Russians’ lives changing rapidly, combined with the proliferation of technology, both are inconsequential compared to the ancient message of Christ.
“Religion is still the same and still important. If man needs direction and needs to make a decision between good and evil, religion will always help him choose the correct way.”
It’s food for thought as the Russian community prepares to mark their Christmas.