Christmas Eve and Christmas: Backgrounds and differences explained
Christmas Eve, Christmas – is there a difference? Yes there is!
Christmas is one of the most important Christian festivals, which is celebrated with several services.
© Source: Maurizio Gambarini/dpa
Hanover. Every year in December we put Christmas trees in our living rooms, invite family and friends over, give each other gifts – but when it comes to Christian background knowledge, not everyone knows exactly what to do.
Meret Köhne, pastor in Garbsen (Hanover region), explains things about Christmas.
Let’s start with the question:
Christmas Eve and Christmas – what’s the difference?
At Christmas, Christians around the world celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ – the Son of God and Savior. This festival is one of the most important church (Christian) festivals and the two days of Christmas on December 25th and 26th are public holidays in Germany.
The night of December 24th to 25th is known as the holy night. Strictly speaking, this marks the end of Advent (the time of waiting) – and Christmas begins.
In concrete terms, this means: December 24th is not yet Christmas, but Christmas Eve – a difference that many people no longer perceive in everyday life, but in a church context it does.
When does the Christmas season end?
For many, the Christmas season ends on January 6th, the day we know as the “Three Wise Men”. It celebrates the arrival of the wise men from the east who followed the star over Bethlehem that led them to the newly born baby Jesus.
Epiphany, as the Christian festival is actually called, is all about the appearance of God in the world. Hence the name Epiphany, derived from the Greek word “epiphaneia” for “appearance”.
For Catholics, the Christmas season ends on February 2nd at the latest: Christmas trees are cleared from churches and living rooms for Candlemas.
What is Candlemas?
The name Candlemas refers to candlelight processions and the consecration of candles that are part of that day. Emperor Justinian I ordered it for Byzantium for the first time in 542, later the Roman Church adopted this tradition.
Thus, February 2nd is traditionally the last festival of the Christmas season and at the same time a new beginning, when candles are consecrated in light processions for the new year.
Christmas Vespers and Christmas Mass
Evangelical Christians celebrate Christ Vespers on Christmas Eve. The Latin word “vespers” indicates when the service takes place – usually at 6 p.m.
Vespers is usually celebrated without communion. The focus is on the birth story according to Luke, and a nativity play is often performed.
Catholics and Protestants also celebrate Christmas mass on Christmas Eve. Mette comes from the Latin word “matutinus” – because the service takes place at midnight.
Here, too, the focus is on the announcement of the birth of Jesus Christ, which is accompanied by many choral and congregational songs.
