Christmas is one of the most widely celebrated feasts,
celebrated by Christians and even non-Christians all over the world, on the 25th of December each year. It is a commemoration of the birth of Jesus Christ the son of God (Luke 2:1-20). The word Christmas comes from the Middle English Cristemasse, which is from Old English Crstesmsse, a phrase first recorded in 1038 followed by the word Cristes-messe in 1131, which all mean Christ's mass. The four Gospels give no clue as per on which date Jesus was born, but why 25th of December? One theory to explain the choice of December 25 for the celebration of the birth of Jesus is that the purpose was to Christianize the pagan festival in Rome of the Dies Natalis Solis Invicti, meaning "the birthday of the Unconquered Sun", a festival inaugurated by the Roman emperor Aurelian (270275) to celebrate the sun god and celebrated at the winter solstice, December 25.
According to this theory,
during the reign of the emperor Constantine (306-337), Christian
writers assimilated this feast as the birthday of Jesus, associating him with the "sun of righteousness" mentioned in Malachi 4:2 (Sol Iustitiae). The fixing of this date fixed those too of Circumcision and Presentation; of Expectation and, perhaps, Annunciation; and of the Nativity and Conception of John the Baptist. Till the tenth century Christmas counted, in papal reckoning, as the beginning of the ecclesiastical year. Now, Christmas is celebrated at the end
of the first season of the Churchs liturgical calendar, Advent,
which lasts four weeks. Christmas day itself is at the center of the Christmas season which also includes the feasts of Mary Mother of God (1st January), the feast of Epiphany and ends with the Baptism of our Lord. The liturgical color for Christmas is white, signifying joy and happiness. The celebration of Christmas is usually accompanied by some signs, which are very symbolic and represent some principal elements that surround the actual scene of the nativity. These include; the Christmas Crib, which is usually a small hut at the side of the church with the nativity characters fully represented, the Christmas tree, and the Christmas wreath, which contains candles of different colors which are lit during the different weeks of the advent season. Just like for Easter and other important feasts, Christmas eve is very important too and the vigil mass is of great significance. It was late at night that the angel appeared to announce Christs birth to the shepherds (Luke 2:8-20) and the great Gloria is sung to express our joy, the joy of Christmas. Christmas day is very important to the Christian because it is first of all, the day on which our savior was born. The day on which the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world was born, the day on which humanity and divinity fully met (John 1:14), as Christ was true God and true man. It is the celebration of the mystery of incarnation. It is the day of which the prophets of old especially Isaiah had spoken extensively. It is thus the beginning of our salvation. It is also a reuniting event in the lives
of many families as during this period, they come together to
celebrate this great feast. The festivities of Christmas are often so much secularized that they result in excessive eating and drinking but the Church encourages us to celebrate with joy but with moderation, recognizing and rejoicing more about the spiritual significance of the feast, which is the origin of the mystery of our redemption, than focusing on the material and secular celebrations that are usually attached to Christmas.
Novena Prayers Must Be Said Six Times Each Day For Nine Consecutive Days Leaving Nine Copies in The Church Each Day. Prayer Will Be Answered On or Before The Ninth Day and Has Never Known To Fail