When do Catholics celebrate Christmas in the year? Catholic Christmas: history and traditions of celebration

Catholic Christmas 2017 will be celebrated on December 25, as it was in all previous years, this is not a constant date for Catholic Christmas 2017. Unlike Easter, the holiday of the Resurrection of Christ, the date of Christmas in Christianity does not change. This important event for every believer is associated with many traditions and rituals that must be performed.

In Europe, Christmas is considered the most important holiday of the year and its preparation is always taken seriously. In our country, it’s probably still considered the biggest holiday. New Year, and only then comes Christmas, but in Europe it’s the other way around. On festive table cook something delicious.

About the essence of Christmas

Many believers know that Christmas was established in honor of the birth of the Virgin Mary, the Son of God, Jesus Christ. The whole world announced his birth Star of Bethlehem and, thanks to this sign, the wise men came to the cave with the newborn first to worship Jesus and bring him their gifts.

In the Catholic rite, the celebration of the feast precedes the Advent period, which begins on the fourth Sunday before the holiday. At this time, believers show mercy, actively attend services before Christmas, undergo the sacrament of confession, and fast. This is important spiritual preparation in order to meet the holiday itself with a pure soul and take the sacrament at Christmas itself.

Christmas Eve before the holiday

Every Catholic tries to take part in ceremonial decoration space for Christmas to create a spirit of wonder and magic. They put up Christmas trees, decorate homes and workplaces, and always decorate churches with wreaths. Most wreaths, according to tradition, are made directly at the altars. Four candles are attached to the wreaths and on every Sunday before Christmas, starting from the fourth, one candle is lit, indicating the number of weeks remaining until the largest Catholic holiday.

The day before Christmas, December 24th, is called Christmas Eve. It is on this day that the Christmas tree is put up and decorated, and the house is decorated. Many families also install a Christmas manger in which Mary, according to the Gospel, laid the newborn Jesus.

In Catholic churches they always make a nativity scene. This is a model of the scene of the birth of Jesus Christ, which includes several wooden figures. Of the figures, the nativity scene must include a baby in a manger, the Virgin Mary and St. Joseph nearby. Magi, angels - these figures are already installed at will.

Interesting! Catholic Christmas 2017, the date of the holiday is the same from year to year - December 25. The day before is called Christmas Eve or Vigil. On this beautiful day, people fast as much as possible, and the fast ends after the first star rises. This star is a symbol of the coming of the Savior Jesus Christ to this world.

Christmas begins at midnight

The first Mass of Christmas begins at midnight from December 24 to 25. During this mass, the priest places the figurine of Jesus in the manger, liturgical chants begin and the mass, of course, is distinguished by solemnity, it is very soulful.
During Christmas Day, only three liturgies are served; the clergy wear festive white clothes. According to Catholic tradition Christmas should not just be celebrated on December 25th, but then for another eight days until January 1st.

Celebrations are celebrated on the first of January Holy Mother of God and the Christmas celebrations end.

The wonderful, bright and pure holiday of the Nativity of Christ is awaited by Catholics all over the world. Because, in the Catholic religion, this particular church holiday is the most important during the year; they begin to prepare for it in advance and the preparation, of course, is distinguished by solemnity. We remind you that Christmas has a permanent date for Catholics and is celebrated every year on December 25th. This is only the first day of the holiday, the celebration itself lasts for eight days and ends with the first day of the new year, that is, as if coinciding with the New Year too.

Western Christians living according to the Gregorian calendar are preparing to celebrate their main holiday - Nativity, which is sometimes called Catholic Christmas. In fact, according to the Gregorian calendar or the so-called new style, Christmas is celebrated not only by Catholics, but also by Protestants of all denominations, as well as some Orthodox communities.

When do Catholics and Protestants celebrate Christmas?

Christmas is always celebrated according to the Gregorian calendar December 25. The main Christmas services in churches of Western denominations are held on the evening of December 24.

Let us recall that Orthodox Christians, including the Russian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate, who celebrate holidays according to the Julian or New Julian calendar, celebrate Christmas on the night of Jan. 7. Also, Christmas on January 7 is celebrated by the majority of Orthodox Christians in Ukraine and Belarus.

History of the Nativity of Christ

According to the Gospels of Bows And Matthew, in the year of birth Jesus by decree of the Roman emperor Augusta in the Roman Empire (Judea was under the rule of Rome) a census was carried out.

To prevent census takers from counting people several times, all residents were ordered to appear in the city where the person was from to participate in the census. Joseph was a descendant of the king David, and their city was Bethlehem. the Virgin Mary, who was betrothed to Joseph, went to Bethlehem with her husband.

There, due to the influx of guests, there was no place for the holy family in the hotel, and Mary, who was already carrying the son of God in her womb, delivered her pregnancy in a cave in which cattle were sheltered from the weather.

After the baby is born Jesus The first to come to worship him were the shepherds, who learned the good news from the angel. According to the Evangelist Matthew, at the moment of the birth of Jesus, a miraculous star appeared in the sky, which showed the wise men the way to Jesus. In Catholicism, the Magi are considered kings or magicians, their names are Melchior, Caspar And Balthazar. The Magi presented Jesus with gifts - gold, frankincense and myrrh. With these gifts, the Magi emphasized that they saw Jesus as a king.

Upon learning of the birth of Jesus, the king of Judea Herod decided to destroy it. To do this, Herod ordered the death of all infants under the age of two. However, Jesus was miraculously saved from death because an angel commanded Joseph to flee with his family to Egypt, where the holy family lived until the death of Herod.

How to celebrate Catholic Christmas

Four Sundays before Christmas, Catholics begin a very important pre-Christmas period called Advent. This is a time of spiritual preparation for Christmas, including fasting, prayer and good deeds.

The eve of the holiday - December 24 - is called Christmas Eve, since on this day it is customary to observe strict fasting, eating only grains cooked in honey. According to tradition, Christmas Eve ends with the appearance of the first star in the sky, after which families sit down to the festive table, which always includes meat delicacies.

Traditions of Catholic Christmas

Christmas nativity scenes

Since the Middle Ages in Western Europe, the custom arose at Christmas to set up nativity scenes - to make toy mangers with figurines of the baby Jesus, the Virgin Mary, shepherds, wise men and other heroes of the Christmas mystery.

Christmas carols

At Christmas it is still customary to carol - children and adults dress up in carnival costumes, put on masks and go from house to house singing Christmas carols, receiving candy and money as a reward.

Christmas tree

The main Christmas custom, which came from the West to Russia, is to bring a spruce into the house and decorate it for Christmas. Initially, this was a pagan ancient Germanic custom, but during Christianity, a decorated spruce began to symbolize the tree of paradise with fruits.

Santa Claus

Santa Claus(actually this is St Nicholas) is a Christmas grandfather who brings gifts to all children, especially those who behaved well last year. It is traditionally believed that Santa Claus comes at night through the chimney (as St. Nicholas once did, wanting to secretly benefit three dowry girls) and puts gifts for children under the tree or in a stocking. Therefore, in Western homes at Christmas, it is customary to hang a special large stocking or sock by the fireplace for gifts.

Congratulations on Catholic Christmas

***
Angels came down from heaven
The bells are ringing,
We got dressed and washed,
Looking forward to Christmas Day.

We are waiting for miracles and wondrous tales
On the twenty-fifth day of winter,
Merry Christmas! - let's say together,
Hello, holiday, here we are!

***
Mistletoe on the door
Let him drive away troubles
Catholics today
Christmas is celebrated.

In the sky of Bethlehem
A star burst out
For the world to praise
Nativity of Christ.

Angels on snowflakes
They fly towards us from the sky,
Congratulate Christians
Merry Christmas is in a hurry.

Shrouded in joy
Peace and magic
I wish you happiness
Merry Christmas to you.

***
The bell rings at the door,
And there are already gifts waiting in the socks,
Santa Claus is running to the guys
To make their holiday bright!

May there be magic in our hearts today
It came to life, giving everyone joy,
And let everyone have Christmas
Peace for home and for souls!

On December 25, 2016, more than 100 countries around the world will celebrate Christmas. Most of these countries have a Catholic state religion.

Before the division of churches into Protestants, Catholics and Orthodox, all statutes were the same. Over time, the laws of each church changed - even in terms of the date of celebration of one of the greatest events included in the list of 12 main holidays of Christianity, called the Twelve - the Nativity of Christ.

Traditions of Catholic Christmas

The meaning of the holiday remains the same for all faiths. Catholic Christmas is a celebration not only of the birth of Christ, but also a celebration of the happiness of the Virgin Mary. This is not only joy, but also a share of sorrow, for Mary knew that happiness would turn into trials that would need to be endured with courage.

This is a holiday of the salvation of mankind, for immediately after the birth of Christ he was hunted by pagans who tried to kill him. The king ordered the death of all babies under 2 years of age. After the census and visit to Bethlehem, Joseph, Mary's husband, was visited by an angel and told that they needed to leave the country as much as possible to avoid the death of the baby Jesus. That's exactly what they did, go to Egypt.

This is a celebration of the miracle of preserving innocence, which Mary swore to preserve until the end of her days. As the scriptures say, as the birth approached, Joseph went to fetch the midwife, but when they returned, they saw a bright light coming from the cave. They entered there. But Maria was already holding the baby in her arms. It was the most wonderful miracle of all. Catholics, just like Protestants and Orthodox Christians, believe in this miracle and dedicate their prayers to it during Lent.

The main Christmas tradition for Catholics is fasting, which begins 4 weeks before the holiday. the last week- most important. In 2016, Christmas Eve begins on the night of December 24-25. It is on this day that it is forbidden to eat animal food. During Lent, people pray more, attend church more often, and limit themselves in entertainment.

At Christmas, in Catholic and Protestant customs there is an analogue of Russian carols. It was from Catholics that the tradition of decorating the Christmas tree came, which is what most of the world's population now does. This is a beautiful tradition that is almost one and a half thousand years old. After December 25, Catholics begin their post-feast. The New Year 2017 will be celebrated at the same time as Christmas, although it will officially begin only on January 1. This is the tradition of the Western world. They congratulate each other: “Happy New Year and Merry Christmas.”

Why do Catholics celebrate Christmas on December 25th?

Not only Catholics, but also Protestants live according to the Gregorian calendar. Moreover, Orthodox churches in some countries also use this particular calendar. This calendar is a little inconvenient due to its discrepancies with the astronomical one, but it is traditional.

In Russia, Orthodox Christians do not switch to the Gregorian calendar because they honor their traditions. The Orthodox Church does not want to change these traditions, and also believes in the correctness of its laws and habits. Unfortunately, no one knows how to count correctly church holidays, because such information is not in any of the holy books. In this regard, you have to figure it out on your own, so the disputes will never stop. It is worth noting that the majority of all Christian denominations in general always celebrate Christmas according to the Gregorian calendar - December 25.

One way or another, differences in festival times should not set boundaries between people. Catholics have always respected the traditions of Orthodoxy, and Orthodox Christians have always respected Catholic foundations.

In the Catholic faith, the most important holiday of the year is Christmas. This celebration is celebrated annually at the same time, namely, December 25. Many different rituals and traditions have been invented for this event. Catholics from all over the world rejoice at the arrival of this most important event and celebrate it with special significance.

The date of Catholic Christmas 2018 is counted according to the Gregorian calendar, and means the event of the great birth of the savior of the world and the people - Jesus Christ. In any country, the holiday is joyful, fun and colorful. Believers try to carefully prepare for the upcoming event, so on the holiday itself, all believers indulge in the sacrament of celebration and happiness.

History of Catholic Christmas celebrations

For Orthodox believers, the date of this holiday always falls on January 7th. Catholics count the celebration of this event according to a different calendar, therefore the dates of the holiday differ significantly. What date is Catholic Christmas in 2018? The date of celebration of the great event is December 25th.

The Catholic faith has features of celebrating a significant event. First of all, preparations for Christmas begin. The corresponding preparation for the celebration is called Advent and it begins exactly 4 weeks before the arrival of the most important holiday of the year. The main purpose of this time is that Catholics undergo a kind of liberation of the soul from sinful thoughts. At the initial stage, the life of Christ is remembered. Believers remember the life of the Savior, reflect on his actions and do not exclude the second coming of Jesus to our Earth. The second part of Advent is about realizing your own thoughts and desires. At this time, every Catholic thinks about the meaning of life, he understands which actions have a positive impact on fate and which do not. Long 4 weeks help every believer realize what desires and possibilities they need to live with. The entire duration of Advent is spent in the obligatory reading of prayers and singing of sacred songs.

The history of celebrating Catholic Christmas includes many traditions and various rites or rituals. For example, in Catholic homes it is customary to hang a Christmas wreath on the wall. During Advent, sacred candles are attached to the wreath and lit one per week. The result should be 4 burned out candles. Each candle has its own purpose: the first one means the coming of Jesus to earth; the second is the birth, existence and life of Jesus and his family; the third is the joy of the coming of the Almighty; the fourth says that in the future the re-coming of Christ to Earth is expected, where he must unite with Christians and take all holy believers with him to Heaven.

Another good tradition of the pre-Christmas time is that believers make a special calendar with certain days. Each date symbolizes a window into which you can put anything. For children, chocolate figures or notes with things that need to be done at a certain time are placed in such windows. For adults, prayers or sacred songs are included that must be read throughout the day.

To make Advent time pass faster, Catholics came up with the idea of ​​creating a special staircase with a number of steps equal to the number of days in Advent. On the very first day, a figurine of Christ is placed on the first step, and with each subsequent day the figurine rises higher.

When Catholic Christmas 2018 comes to the homes of believers, they must celebrate the holiday with a beautifully decorated Christmas tree. The tradition of decorating the Christmas tree is similar to New Year's celebrations. For Catholics, everything happens exactly the same: a fir tree is prepared for the holiday, which decorates the home during all holidays. After special events When they end, the spruce tree is also removed.

Christmas is celebrated with great joy, as believers rejoice at the birth of the Savior. The most delicious dishes are set on the table, and all relatives and good friends are invited to visit. Memories from holiday should only be warm and pleasant.

In 2016, the fantasy film Warcraft was released on the silver screen, based on the popular series of games (with the original title Warcraft). Many people liked the picture, which raised the question: when will the sequel come out - the movie Warcraft 2.


In fact The big question is whether Warcraft 2 will ever be made.

And the point here is not at all a lack of audience interest in the story or a lack of source material. Many fans are eagerly awaiting the release of the film's sequel. One young man even posted a tweet in which he claimed that he had seen the science fiction film 4 times in IMAX, and was now biting his nails in anticipation of the sequel. To which I even received a response from Duncan Jones, the director of the first Warcraft, who replied that he himself was looking forward to this happening, but it all depends on the decision of the production media company Legendary Entertainment.

It is also unlikely that the large number of negative reviews that the first film received will hinder the release of Warcraft 2. There are many examples when, after serious criticism of the first parts, studios released sequels that had some success.

The main thing that determines whether Warcraft 2 will be released or not is the question of money. After all, it's just business. As you know, the first film failed at the US box office, but it did well in some other countries. For example, $156 million was collected in China, and overall box office receipts amounted to more than $430 million. That is, the financial success of the Warcraft 2 film is unlikely to be ensured in the United States, but in foreign markets, for example, in Russia and China, it will be possible to collect something. And producers, before starting filming, must decide for themselves whether they are willing to take the risk of the film failing at the box office or not. We expect that sooner or later a positive decision will be made on the production of the second part of the Warcraft film.

When will Warcraft 2 be released in Russia?

Despite the fact that there is no decision yet on the start of filming and the release date of the film Warcraft 2, an approximate release date can be given. Preliminary date is May 2020. In Russia, this may well be Thursday, May 14, 2020.

Although, of course, not all parenting days fall on Saturday. So, the first parents' day after Easter in 2019, called Radonitsa, is held on Tuesday a week after Easter Sunday.

Orthodox believers celebrated Easter in 2019 on April 28, respectively Radonitsa falls on May 7, 2019.

That is, what date will Radonitsa be (parent’s day after Easter 2019):
* on Tuesday May 7, 2019

In some Russian regions, May 7, 2019 has been declared a holiday. Taking into account the May holidays, at the beginning of May 2019, residents of these regions will have 10 days off.

Eid al-Fitr in 2019 - day off or working day:

In some regions of the country, the first day of Eid al-Fitr (in 2019 - June 4) is an official non-working day, an additional day off.

The following regions of the Russian Federation are celebrating the holiday:
* Republic of Adygea.
* Republic of Bashkortostan (Bashkiria).
* The Republic of Dagestan.
* Kabardino-Balkarian Republic (Kabardino-Balkaria).
* Karachay-Cherkess Republic (Karachay-Cherkessia).
* Republic of Crimea.
* Republic of Tatarstan.
* Chechen Republic.

In the listed regions, Tuesday June 4, 2019 is a day off, and the Monday before (June 3, 2019) is a short working day.

What is the date for the Scarlet Sails 2019 festival in St. Petersburg:

The Scarlet Sails festive festival is held annually in St. Petersburg and is traditionally considered a holiday for all graduates of St. Petersburg schools.

Residents of the northern capital are looking forward to Scarlet Sails 2019, because the festival has now gained immense popularity among them. Why, St. Petersburg residents, a large number of guests from all over Russia and countries near and far abroad are planning to make a summer trip to St. Petersburg in order to see an exciting water show, colorful fireworks and numerous music concerts.

In the waters of the Neva, as part of the festival, a grandiose water performance is held, which includes: races on motor boats and kayaks, sea pirate battles, and also, at its apotheosis, the passage of a sailboat with scarlet sails.

The date of the Scarlet Sails festival is dedicated to the longest white night. Events are held on the Saturday closest to it, during from June 18 to June 25, with minor exceptions. The most interesting part of the events takes place on the night from Saturday to Sunday.

The traditional date for Scarlet Sails 2019 is Saturday, June 22, 2019. However, June 22 in Russia is the Day of Remembrance and Sorrow, the date of the beginning of the Great Patriotic War. Therefore, the obvious decision was moving the holiday to Sunday June 23, 2019. The option of moving the festival to Friday June 21, 2019 was not suitable for the reason that since the events last 2 days, they would end at dawn on June 22, just at the time of the attack of Nazi Germany on the USSR in 1941.

That is, the date of the Scarlet Sails 2019 festival:
* on the night from Sunday June 23, 2019 to Monday June 24, 2019

The venue for the Scarlet Sails 2019 celebrations will traditionally be Palace Square in St. Petersburg and the Spit of Vasilyevsky Island.

On which channel to watch the live broadcast of the Scarlet Sails 2019 festival:

According to established tradition, the most interesting moments are broadcast live festive evening will show Channel 5. The live broadcast is scheduled to begin at 22:00 .

What time are the fireworks:

The festive fireworks, also known as fireworks or pyrotechnic show, will begin at the end of the concert program, after 00:30.

And in a week in St. Petersburg there will be a summer National holiday Turkic peoples -