Ethan Walker
There is a lot of variation in how long people celebrate Christmas for, and the Catholic Church itself offers multiple answers. The Christmas season for Catholics is said to last either 8, 12, or 40 days, with some sources saying that it depends on what is meant by the Christmas season. The Church marks the end of the Christmas season on the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord, usually the second Sunday of January. However, the Church also celebrates the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord forty days after Christmas, which is also known as Candlemas.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Christmas season | Begins on Christmas Eve |
| Christmas day | December 25 |
| Octave of Christmas | 8 days |
| The 12 days of Christmas | Begins on December 26 |
| The 12 days of Christmas | Ends on January 6 |
| The Feast of the Epiphany | January 6 |
| The season of Epiphany | 8 days |
| The Feast of the Baptism of the Lord | Second Sunday of January |
| The Feast of the Presentation of the Lord | February 2 |
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What You'll Learn
The Christmas season for Catholics
The Octave of Christmas
The "Octave day" of Christmas, which falls on January 1st, is the Solemnity of Mary, the Holy Mother of God. It is a holy day on which all Catholics are obliged to celebrate Mass, with readings and prayers related to the birth of Christ. The Octave of Christmas is followed by the twelve days of Christmas, which are not official liturgical celebrations but rather a popular tradition.
The Twelve Days of Christmas
The twelve days of Christmas begin on December 26th and end on January 6th, the traditional date of Epiphany. During this time, Christians may celebrate with special foods and traditions, such as the exchanging of gifts, which symbolizes passing on the gift of Christ to loved ones.
The Feast of the Epiphany
The Feast of the Epiphany, celebrated on the first Sunday after the Octave of Christmas, marks the revelation that Jesus was the Son of God. It commemorates the visit of the Magi, who brought gifts to Jesus, as well as his baptism in the Jordan River and the wedding at Cana.
The Feast of the Baptism of the Lord
The liturgical season of Christmas ends with the celebration of the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord, which usually falls on the second Sunday of January. This feast marks the primary event celebrated during the Epiphany in ancient times. After this feast, the clergy return to Ordinary Time, wearing green vestments.
The Feast of the Presentation of the Lord
Also known as Candlemas, this feast falls on February 2nd. On this day, Catholics bring candles to church to be blessed and then use them during prayer at home as a symbol of Jesus Christ, the Light of the World. This feast marks the end of the Christmas season for some Catholics, who traditionally keep their Christmas decorations until this day.
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The Feast of the Baptism of the Lord
The celebration of the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord includes unique traditions, such as the blessing of water and homes. In Ukraine, for example, the faithful gather in front of the church where a cross of ice is placed, and a tub of water is blessed. This blessed water is then taken home and consumed before breakfast, believed to protect the home from fire, lightning, and sickness throughout the year.
The date of the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord can vary slightly depending on the liturgical calendar being followed. In some cases, it is celebrated on the Monday immediately following Epiphany if Epiphany falls on January 7th or 8th. In Lutheran Churches with Scandinavian history, it may be observed on the final Sunday before Lent, known as Quinquagesima Sunday.
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The Octave of Christmas
Each day during the Octave of Christmas is treated as a feast day, with the Gloria sung each day during Mass and each day regarded as a day of great feasting. The eighth day is kept with greater solemnity than the days leading up to it. During the Octave, all readings and prayers during the celebration of Mass are related to the birth of Christ.
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The Twelve Days of Christmas
However, some sources refute the claim that the song was created by Elizabethan Catholics, arguing that there is no evidence of its existence during that time and that the symbols in the song do not align with subjects of disagreement between Catholics and Anglicans.
Regardless of its origins, "The Twelve Days of Christmas" holds profound Catholic meaning and is a reminder that Christmas is not just one day. In the Catholic faith, the Christmas season lasts longer than just one day, from Christmas Eve until the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord, which usually falls on the second Sunday of January.
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The Feast of the Epiphany
The earliest reference to Epiphany as a Christian feast was in AD 361, by Ammianus Marcellinus. The holiday is listed twice, suggesting a double feast of baptism and birth. The baptism of Jesus was originally assigned to the same date as his birth because Luke 3:23 was read to mean that Jesus was exactly 30 when he was baptized. It is said by many Church Fathers that Jesus was 30, though not necessarily exactly that age. Even before 354, the Western Church had separated the celebration of the Nativity of Christ as the feast of Christmas, setting its date as December 25, and reserving January 6 as a commemoration of the manifestation of Christ, especially to the Magi. In 385, the pilgrim Egeria (also known as Silvia) described a celebration in Jerusalem and Bethlehem, which she called "Epiphany", that commemorated the Nativity.
In the Latin rite of the Catholic Church, Epiphany celebrates the revelation that Jesus was the Son of God. It focuses primarily on this revelation to the Three Wise Men, but it also focuses on his baptism in the Jordan and at the wedding at Cana. In the Eastern rites of the Catholic Church, Theophany—as Epiphany is known in the East—commemorates the manifestation of Jesus’ divinity at his baptism in the River Jordan. While the traditional date for the feast is January 6, in the United States the celebration of Epiphany is moved to the Sunday between January 2 and January 8.
Popular Epiphany customs include Epiphany singing, chalking the door, having one's house blessed, consuming Three Kings Cake, winter swimming, as well as attending church services. In many localities, Christians remove their Christmas decorations on Epiphany Eve (Twelfth Night), although those in other Christian countries historically remove them on Candlemas, the conclusion of Epiphanytide.
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Frequently asked questions
The liturgical season of Christmas ends with the celebration of the Baptism of the Lord, which is observed on the second Sunday of January. The Christmas season runs from Christmas Eve Evening through the day before the feast of the Baptism of the Lord, which is the Sunday after the Epiphany.
The Octave of Christmas is an eight-day celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ. The eighth day of Christmas, January 1st, is the Solemnity of Mary, the Holy Mother of God.
The Feast of the Epiphany is celebrated twelve days after Christmas. It commemorates the revelation that Jesus was the Son of God and marks when the Magi encountered Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, and gave Jesus the gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
The Christmas season in the Catholic Church ends with the celebration of the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord. However, the Church circles back to the Christmas season forty days after Christmas, on the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord, also known as Candlemas.
