When is Catholic Christmas Eve starting in the year? Catholic Christmas Eve: traditions of the West. Congratulations in prose on Catholic Christmas Eve

Catholic Christmas Eve is the day preceding it (December 25). Most likely, the holiday was named so because of the word “,” that is, grain porridge (made from barley or millet), served with sweets and fruits. The first mention of the celebration of Christmas Eve dates back to the 4th century. On Catholic Christmas Eve it is supposed to try “sochivo” only after the liturgy combined with the evening service. But the ancient tradition of not eating any food until the first star in the evening sky is based on the memory of the appearance of the star that announced the birth of Christ. Although according to church rules such abstinence is not at all necessary. On Christmas Eve, believers remember Old Testament events, as well as prophecies regarding the birth of Christ.

Before everyone starts eating, an excerpt from the Gospel of St. Luke is read about the birth of the baby Jesus. Then everyone says a prayer. Relatives and guests exchange wafers - special bread with a figured design applied. Such wafers, usually unleavened in taste, symbolize the body of God's son. After a piece of the wafer is broken off, a bright wish is said. The entire dinner takes place in a pleasant atmosphere. And at the festive table there is always one empty seat. If guests suddenly arrive, they will be received like brothers. This custom is a sign of memory of loved ones who are far away, unable to celebrate such an important holiday with their beloved family. By the way, the date of Catholic Christmas Eve 2017 is December 24, it does not change.

Eight centuries ago, Catholic churches began to install a manger with a figurine of the newborn Jesus. Later, similar cradles appeared in the homes of believers. Then they began to build santons or models that showed a grotto, the Mother of God, a cradle with Jesus, shepherds, an angel, Joseph, a bull, and a donkey. In general, all the characters according to the Bible in the scene of the birth of Christ. Entire scenes from the life of the holy family, etc., are shown throughout Europe.

Like Orthodox people, Catholics sing carols this evening. Children go to the houses of their friends, read poems and sing songs. It is customary to give money and gifts in response to wishes, carols, for example, roasted chestnuts, sweets. If a person is stingy, he is ridiculed and threatened with troubles.

A distinctive element of Catholic Christmas Eve is the custom of decorating fir trees. This pagan tradition first appeared among the Germanic peoples, as they believed that spruce symbolized life. But after the widespread spread of Christianity, the decorated spruce in Europe acquires new symbolism. Nowadays, spruce is a tree of paradise with an abundance of fruits.

On the eve of the bright holiday of Christmas, December 24, the Catholic world celebrates Christmas Eve (Vigil). On this day they eat only grain porridge with honey or fruit - juiced.

Dinner begins with the appearance of the first star in the sky. The head of the family, the father, leads the Christmas meal. First, all family members read a passage from the Gospel, then exchange small flat bread - wafers, symbolizing the flesh of Christ. When offering a wafer, it is customary to say kind words and wishes.

A little hay is placed under the tablecloth, which symbolizes the first sleeping place in the life of the newborn Christ - the manger where Our Lady Mary placed him after giving birth. At a festive evening, it is customary to place on the table 12 Lenten dishes, personifying the 12 apostles of Christ.

Also at Christmas dinner on Catholic Christmas Eve, it is customary to leave one empty seat and one empty table service at the table. It is believed that if a guest comes to the house this evening, he will carry with him the spirit of Christ himself. After dinner, all family members go to church for Mass.

Customs and traditions

It is on Christmas Eve, December 24, that in Western countries it is customary to decorate the Christmas tree and go to confession in church before evening mass. According to tradition, the Christmas tree should burn all night to light the way into the house for the Divine spirit.

Christmas in Western countries is preceded by a 4-week Advent period. At this time, all believers participate in pre-Christmas services and perform charitable acts. During the Advent period, priests wear purple cassocks, symbolizing repentance.

Each service during the pre-Christmas Advent period has a certain meaning and highlights the history of Jesus Christ: his first coming, the events preceding his birth, memories of John the Baptist and the transition from the Old Testament to the New.

At the entrance to the altars, fir wreaths with four candles are hung, each of which is lit one at a time each Sunday Service of the Advent period. The green color of the wreath symbolizes hope for eternal life, and its rounded shape symbolizes infinity.

During the Christmas period, all Catholic believers decorate the front doors of their houses with such wreaths, and also build mangers in their houses, which symbolize the birth of Christ. Essentially, the manger is a den for feeding livestock, where Mary laid the newborn Christ. The Christmas manger, built in houses, represents a kind of “scene” that depicts the birth of Jesus.

Traditionally, figurines of the Mother of God, Joseph, Christ, and three elders are displayed near the manger, to whom, according to legend, a star showed the way to the birthplace of Christ.

Millions of children are waiting for Christmas gifts from Santa Claus. The prototype of Santa Claus is considered to be Saint Nicholas of Myra from the city of Myra. During his lifetime, he was a rich and kind man who was involved in charity: he put food, clothes and toys for children in the houses of the poor. There is another hypothesis about the origin of the tradition of giving Christmas gifts to children. According to the Gospel tradition, 3 elders who came to worship the newborn Christ brought gifts for him.

On the afternoon of December 25, Merry Christmas Day, traditionally the whole family gathers at the festive table. The most common traditional Christmas dishes in many Western countries are roast turkey and pudding. However, in Austria and Hungary, it is not customary to serve any poultry dishes on the Christmas table - happiness will fly away.

Catholic Christmas Eve in different countries

In Bethlehem, where Jesus Christ was born, on Christmas Eve, December 24, a solemn church procession takes place.

In Spain, Catholic Christmas Eve is called Nochebiena. As in many Catholic countries, Christmas dinner is spent with family. To the sounds of sambob and tambourine, children sing songs for receiving sweets. This tradition is reminiscent of our Russian caroling.

In provincial towns in Canada, there is a good Christmas tradition of selling fish in churches. They catch it especially for Christmas Eve throughout the previous week, and the money raised from sales goes to donate to churches. In most large cities in Canada, street theatrical performances and concerts are organized on Christmas Eve. At such events, live music is played, and artists approach each spectator present and wish them a Merry Christmas.

In Estonia, December 24 is an official holiday. Local residents decorate Christmas trees, decorate houses and prepare dishes for Christmas Eve on December 23rd.

And of course, in all countries, according to tradition, on December 25, all people congratulate each other on this great holiday - Merry Christmas. Don’t forget to congratulate all your family and friends. You will find the best congratulations for Catholic Christmas in verse.

Christmas comes to every person's home. And it doesn’t matter at all whether he is a Catholic, a Protestant or an Orthodox Christian. The bright holiday of Christmas calls on everyone to open their hearts, believe in miracles and be filled with love - all this can change the whole world, and therefore the fate of every person for the better.

Today, December 25, it's a big holiday all over the world - feast of the Nativity of Christ. It is celebrated according to the Gregorian calendar on the night of December 24-25. Perhaps this is the most important Christian holiday, the first mention of which dates back to the 4th century.

On this night, Jesus Christ, the Son of God, was born in Bethlehem. The star of Bethlehem that appeared in the sky announced Christmas. The Magi came to worship the baby and brought him gifts.

On this night, Christmas is celebrated by the Roman Catholic Church and most Protestant Churches, as well as Lutherans and adherents of the Anglican Church. Each country has its own traditions for celebrating Christmas.

In Catholicism, this is the most solemn holiday with three church services: at night, at dawn and during the day.

At midnight, the very first mass begins, during which the priest solemnly places a figurine of the baby Jesus in the manger and sanctifies it. This helps believers feel like participants in the event that happened on that distant Christmas night. Liturgical chants during this service are particularly soulful.

Why exactly 3 special liturgies are held?, i.e. celebrate three times?

At night - as the pre-eternal birth of the Word from God the Father
At dawn - the birth of God the Son from the Virgin Mary
And already in the afternoon - the birth of God in the soul of a believer.

Christmas is preceded Advent period, which begins 4 weeks before the holiday itself. At this time, the priests put on purple cassocks - this color symbolizes repentance. The Advent period is intended to prepare believers for a deeper experience of the Nativity of Christ. At this time, everyone tries to do merciful deeds and prepare for confession in order to receive Communion with a pure soul and whole heart.

Every Sunday service(and there are 4 of them) is thematic:

The first is dedicated to the coming of Jesus Christ at the end of time.
The second and third Sundays reflect the transition from the Old to the New Testament. On the third Sunday, John the Baptist is especially remembered.
And the fourth Sunday is dedicated to the gospel events that preceded Christmas.

In many countries, churches and the entrance doors of residential buildings are decorated with wreaths during the Advent period as a sign that Christ is expected here. In churches, such wreaths are placed at the altars. 4 candles are attached to a round wreath and one of them is lit every Sunday. All 4 candles must be lit on Christmas Day.

This round shape of the wreath symbolizes eternity, and the green color symbolizes hope, just like the branches of the Christmas tree, although the spruce is already a tribute to paganism. Among the Germanic peoples, the evergreen spruce was considered a symbol of life and fertility. And with the spread of Christianity, they began to install it in homes on December 24 and decorate it with multi-colored balls as a symbol of the tree of paradise with abundant fruits.

At the end of the 19th century, thanks to German settlers, this tradition appeared in America. Colored paper, sweets and apples were used as decorations for the festive tree, symbolizing the paradise gardens of Eden.

It is believed that Martin Luther, the founder of the Protestant Church, suggested using candles to decorate the Christmas tree in order to try to reproduce the light of stars through the branches of the tree.

Another Christmas plant is mistletoe, which has many omens associated with it. And they are different for every nation. For example, in Scandinavia, mistletoe was a symbol of peace. It was used to decorate the outside of houses as a sign that the traveler would be given shelter here. Mistletoe was considered a thunder plant, and representatives of different nations believed that it was able to protect the house from thunder and lightning and scare away evil spirits.

Specifically, the most common tradition associated with Christmas is the English custom of kissing under a mistletoe branch.

In many countries, it is customary for children to perform good deeds in anticipation of the holiday, for which they receive a bunch of straw or a paper heart in the family. And then, before Christmas comes, the children hang these hearts on the tree and put the straw in the manger.

In the narrow sense of the word, “manger” is a feeding trough for livestock, where the Mother of God placed her newborn Son. In a broad sense, a manger (in the Russian tradition - a nativity scene) is the image of a cave where shepherds drove their cattle at night and where, as the Gospel tells, Jesus Christ was born.

In the Western tradition, a manger is a scene depicting the birth of Christ and consisting of several figures. Among them there must be figurines of the Baby Jesus in a manger, the Blessed Virgin Mary and St. Joseph. The remaining participants in the Christmas event - the shepherds, the animals that were in the cave, and the angels - are determined at the discretion of the author.

The tradition of installing a Christmas manger was started by the Catholic Saint Francis of Assisi, who in 1223 in the village of Greccio placed a manger in a cave on the mountainside. They also brought an ox and a donkey there - animals that, according to legend, warmed the newborn Baby with their breath. Since then, this tradition has been followed not only by churches, but also by many Catholic families.

Day December 24(Christmas Eve) is called Christmas Eve, since on this day one eats juice - wheat or barley grains boiled with honey, or Vigilia (from the Latin vigilia, which means vigil).

It is on this day that families decorate Christmas trees and install nurseries.

Many believers observe fasting on this day, which ends at the moment the first star rises, symbolizing the coming of the Savior into this world.

Traditionally families get together for festive dinner. The meal is religious in nature and consists of Lenten dishes. A dish with blessed unleavened bread - Christmas wafers. Candles are lit in the house, and the father of the family (or the eldest in the family) reads aloud a passage from the Gospel of Luke, which tells about the birth of Jesus Christ. Then everyone present takes the wafers from the dish and shares them with each other, wishing peace, happiness, love and goodness.

After this, Christmas Eve dinner begins, during which a certain order of serving dishes is observed:

Boiled wheat (kutia) is served first, which is reminiscent of the abundance in paradise in which Adam and Eve lived.
Then follows oatmeal jelly, which with its gray color and special taste symbolizes the Old Testament - a time when everything was gray, gloomy, boring from the consequences of sin. The jelly is filled with honey water as a sign that Christ brought hope, which made everything joyful, as if sweet.
The next fish dish is a symbol of the announcement of Christ.
After this, sweet cranberry jelly is served, which reminds that the Blood of Christ destroyed the bitterness of sin.
At the end of the dinner, seven types of sweet foods are served (biscuits, buns, various sweet pastries), which recalls the seven Holy Sacraments.

After dinner the whole family goes to mass. This is a common Catholic Christmas tradition for all believers.

Widespread and known the custom of leaving an empty seat at the festive table on Christmas Eve. If anyone comes to the house, he will be received as a brother. This custom is a sign of memory of near and dear people who cannot celebrate the holiday with their family on this day. An unoccupied place also symbolizes a deceased family member, or all deceased relatives. This is a kind of gesture of readiness to accept Christ into your home.

Some families have also preserved the custom of placing hay under the white tablecloth on the table at which the Christmas Eve meal is served. The hay recalls the poverty of the Bethlehem cave and the Virgin Mary who laid the newborn Christ Child on hay in a manger.

No Christmas is complete without gifts and Santa Claus. The image of this good-natured old man became popular after the American artist Thomas Nast used this character for his political cartoons in 1863. Later, the artist created many drawings for children.

Gradually, the image of Santa was supplemented with various details. For example, he got a bag of gifts for next Christmas.

Santa then developed a habit of sneaking into the house through the chimney to leave gifts for the children. From the drawings it followed that Santa Claus lives at the North Pole and keeps a special book where he records the actions of good and bad children.

The prototype of Santa Claus is St. Nicholas of Myra, a famous virtue originally from Myra (his relics are now in the Basilica of St. Nicholas in Italy). During his lifetime, he was known as a “secret donor” - he did charity work without revealing himself. According to legend, Nicholas, driving past the house of an impoverished nobleman, noticed his daughters’ stockings hanging by the fireplace to dry and threw small bags of gold down the chimney, which, falling directly into the stockings, became the girls’ dowry.

Millions of children are waiting for gifts from Santa Claus for Christmas. Based on the legend, since then, in many Catholic families, it is customary to hang socks for gifts on the fireplace, through the chimney of which Santa Claus enters the house. And in the morning, children happily run to the fireplace to get gifts. Sometimes socks are hung at the head of the bed.

We also need to pay tribute to the Gospel narrative, according to which the 3 wise men who came to worship the Baby Jesus brought Him gifts: gold, frankincense and myrrh. Perhaps this served as a tradition of giving gifts to each other on Christmas days.

Also on this day, December 25, already on the very day of the Nativity of Christ, according to tradition it is customary family gathering for Christmas dinner. The festive table is decorated with special dishes - different for each country.

The most common dishes are turkey, duck or goose.
In England For example, mandatory dishes for Christmas include oven-roasted turkey with gooseberry sauce and Christmas pudding, which is doused with rum, set on fire and placed on the table flaming. IN THE USA Turkey is also served for Christmas dinner, only with cranberry sauce.

A in France It's not a holiday without a white wine-roasted turkey at Christmas dinner. They also eat oysters, goose liver pate, cheeses and drink champagne.

In Denmark They eat duck or goose stuffed with apples, rice pudding and sweet rice porridge with cinnamon and raisins. In Ireland for Christmas they cook turkey or ham, in Greece- turkey in wine, in Lithuania and Germany- roast goose.

At Christmas, the Germans always put on the table a dish with apples, nuts, raisins and marzipan. In Germany, there are also traditional regional types of Christmas pastries - Nuremberg gingerbread, Aachen gingerbread, Dresden Christmas cake, cinnamon stars.

In China, where quite a lot of Christians live, an imperial dish is prepared for Christmas - the famous Peking duck.

But on holiday tables Austria, Hungary, Balkan countries there is never a Christmas goose, duck, chicken or turkey. They think that You can’t eat a bird that evening - happiness will fly away.

In Belgium During Christmas dinner they eat veal sausage with truffles, boar meat, traditional cake, and wine. In Holland- rabbit, venison or game. Luxembourg consumes black pudding, apples, and local sparkling wine.

Italians on Christmas they prefer to put fish or seafood and tortellini (Italian unleavened dough dumplings with meat, cheese or vegetables) on the festive table and wash it all down with champagne.

In Spain A suckling pig roasted on a spit is served, washed down with sherry. Every Spaniard's holiday table will definitely include seafood - shrimp, crabs, lobsters, as well as Christmas sweets - halva, marzipan, anise candies, turrones (the Spanish analogue of nougat). Some families, following long-standing Catholic traditions, invite lonely old people and simply very poor people to their table this night.

A Portugal on this day he eats baccalao - a dish of dried salted cod, which is washed down with port wine.

They are preparing very carefully for Christmas in Scandinavian countries. Two weeks before the holiday, Christmas piglets are slaughtered, blood sausage is made, and the meat is salted and smoked. Then they begin to prepare beer, which is brewed for three to four days without a break from morning to evening. In western and northern Norway, salted and steamed lamb ribs with potatoes are eaten. In the eastern parts of Norway, pork is popular, while in other areas the main dish is fish. Some families prefer turkey on this day.

Catholics celebrate Christmas for 8 days - from December 25 to January 1 and dedicate each day to one of the saints. This period forms the Octave of Christmas and ends on January 1st. feast of the Solemnity of the Blessed Virgin Mary. But Christmas time itself continues after this event, until Epiphany, which is celebrated on January 6 in the Roman Catholic calendar. Throughout the Christmas season, the clergy at the liturgy wear white, festive attire.

Christmas reveals Christ to believers in the form of a small child surrounded by the Holy Family; this holiday is celebrated with family and is warmed with special warmth and mutual love.

Merry Christmas, friends!

And it doesn’t matter at all what calendar we, Russians, live by. I believe that we can always join our foreign friends and celebrate this bright holiday with them, wish them happiness and goodness, and perhaps even adopt such wonderful traditions somewhere. It’s a pity that we don’t honor this holiday in a special way and the main thing is still the New Year...

The material was prepared based on information:

Day December 24 Catholics call it Christmas Eve or Vigilia (from Latin vigilia - vigil). In many countries, believers observe strict fasting on this day.

If anyone comes to the house inCatholic Christmas Eve, then he will be accepted as a brother. This custom is a sign of memory of near and dear people who cannot celebrate the holiday with their family on this day. An unoccupied place also symbolizes a deceased family member, or all deceased relatives. For them, for those who are gone forever, according to custom, a special device is placed on the table, on which a little of each dish and a piece of wafer is placed.

The custom of placing hay under the white tablecloth on the table at which the meal is served has also been preserved. Catholic Christmas Eve. Hay is intended to remind of poverty Bethlehem cave and about Mother of God, which put Newborn God-Infant Christ for hay in the manger.

Together with Catholics Christmas Celebrated by Lutherans, the Church of England and some Protestant denominations. Each country has its own traditions of this holiday.

In Spain Catholic Christmas Eve called Nochebuena and usually celebrate it with family, having a family dinner. Some families, following long-standing Catholic traditions, invite lonely old people and poor people to their table on this night.

In Germany On December 24, in the afternoon, life in most cities comes to a standstill. At about ten o'clock in the evening the air is filled with the ringing of bells, signaling the start of Christmas services.

In Poland Christmas Eve is not a day off, but institutions, offices, and shops are no longer open in the afternoon. IN Christmas Eve When the first star rises in the sky, the whole family in elegant clothes meets for a gala dinner. Everyone shares the wafers and congratulates each other. Lenten dishes are on the table: borscht with dried bread, fried and jellied carp, dumplings with cabbage and mushrooms, dried fruit compote, sweet pies, and in some regions of Poland - kutia. There is a decorated Christmas tree in the room, and under it there are gifts for all family members. As a rule, everyone at the table sings carols and remembers the passing year.

Western Christians who live according to the Gregorian calendar celebrate the Nativity of Christ on December 25th.

Catholic Christmas, in addition to Catholics, is celebrated by Protestants of all denominations and some Orthodox communities. The holiday is considered a national holiday in more than a hundred countries around the world.

Story

The holiday of the Nativity of Christ was first mentioned in the first half of the 4th century. The birth of the Son of God, as follows from Holy Scripture, is marked by the rising of the first evening star on the night of December 25.

Little Christ was born in a cave where shepherds sheltered their cattle from the weather. The angels announced to the shepherds that the Savior had come into the world, after which they went to the cave and bowed to the newborn.

The wise men brought their gifts to the Son of God - incense, gold and myrrh, who reached the cave, guided by the light of a bright star.

The main symbol of the holiday of the Nativity of Christ has become this particular scene, which is embodied in churches and residential buildings with the help of three-dimensional figures made of various materials (wood, porcelain, clay).

The date of celebration was set at the Third Ecumenical Council, which is called the Council of Ephesus in 431.

Church traditions

The traditions of celebrating Catholic Christmas for Catholics consist of certain rituals. Advent or the period of repentance is one of them - it lasts four weeks before the holiday.

At this time, the clergy dresses in purple robes, and Catholic believers go to confession in order to participate in Christmas services and receive Communion with a pure heart.

Services on Sundays during the Advent period in Catholic churches are held on a specific topic - Gospel readings are dedicated to the coming of Christ at the end of time, the transition from the Old to the New Testament, the ministry of John the Baptist and the events that immediately preceded the Nativity of Christ.

A wreath with four candles is placed at the altars in churches, and one candle is lit on each Sunday of Advent. Eternity is symbolized by the round shape of the wreath, and its green color, like the branches of the Christmas tree, symbolizes hope.

Catholics celebrate three church services on the feast of the Nativity of Christ - at midnight, at dawn and during the day. The celebration of Catholic Christmas begins with the rising of the first evening dawn, which announced the time of the birth of the Son of God to the whole world.

The celebration lasts eight days (octaves), during which Catholic churches remember the Holy Protomartyr Stephen (December 26), the Holy Apostle and Evangelist John the Theologian (December 27), and the Holy Innocent Innocents of Bethlehem (December 28).

The Feast of the Holy Family - the Infant Jesus, the Virgin Mary and Joseph the Betrothed, is celebrated on December 30, if this day does not fall on a Sunday. The celebration of Catholic Christmas ends on January 1 - on this day the Day of the Blessed Virgin Mary is celebrated with special solemnity.

Catholic Christmas days continue until the feast of Epiphany; according to the Roman Catholic calendar, it is celebrated on the first Sunday after Epiphany (January 6). During the celebration, the clergy dresses in white during the liturgy - a robe of festive color.

Catholic Christmas Eve

Christmas Eve or Vigilia (from the Latin vigilia, vigil) is called Christmas Eve.

Catholic Christmas is a calm family holiday; on this day, a manger is installed and the Christmas tree is decorated, and those family members who did not have time to confess go to church.

On Catholic Christmas Eve, a festive dinner is prepared - according to tradition, it consists of Lenten dishes. Almost all Catholics observe a very strict fast on December 24th. A dish with consecrated unleavened bread - Christmas wafers - is placed in the center of the table. With the appearance of the first star in the sky, the fast ends.

Before dinner, the head of the family reads aloud a passage from the Gospel of Luke, which tells about the birth of Jesus Christ. Then everyone present takes the wafers from the dish and shares them, wishing each other peace and goodness.

After dinner, the whole family goes to church - on Christmas Day, even those Catholics who rarely attend church during the year are always present at the solemn evening mass. During the Mass, passages from the Old Testament are read and biblical events related to the birth of the baby Jesus are recalled.

The custom of leaving an empty seat at the Christmas table is common and well known. On Christmas Eve, any guest is received as if they were family, in memory of near and dear people who cannot celebrate the holiday with their family on this day. An unoccupied place also symbolizes a deceased family member, or all deceased relatives.

Santa Claus

Catholic Christmas is a time of magic associated with the legendary Santa Claus. The image of a good-natured, well-fed old man who rides around on a reindeer sleigh surrounded by elves and brings cherished gifts has been known since time immemorial.

And children of all countries look forward to New Year and Christmas with pleasure, knowing that the good wizard will certainly give them what they dreamed of on holiday. But so that Santa knows what to give, you must definitely write him a letter. By the way, Santa has a magic book where he carefully records the good and bad deeds of children.

"Snow Grandmother" and Santa Claus at the main New Year tree of Georgia on Rustaveli Avenue in the center of the Georgian capital

The image of the Christmas wizard has been complemented with funny details for many years. For example, Santa only acquired a large red bag for gifts in 1864. And later, in order to leave gifts for the children, Santa Claus began to sneak into houses through chimneys.

An interesting Christmas custom - hanging large stockings on fireplaces so that they can fit as many gifts as possible - is associated with the prototype of Santa Claus - Saint Nicholas (Sanctus Nicolaus).

Saint Nicholas, according to legend, whenever he passed by poor houses, each time he threw small bags of coins into the chimneys, which fell directly into children’s socks, hung out to dry.

Traditions of different countries

Since ancient times, the tradition of children and youth going home wearing masks and animal skins with songs and good wishes has been known. For good wishes they are given sausages, eggs, pies, fruits, roasted chestnuts, and sweets.

The tradition of giving gifts to children and each other at Christmas is based on the gospel story of how the three wise men, who came to worship the Baby Jesus, presented Him with gifts.

On Catholic Christmas, in city squares and churches, parishioners, according to a long-standing tradition, act out evangelical scenes, visually telling about the birth of Jesus Christ.

The tradition of decorating a Christmas tree also has its roots in the distant pagan past - in ancient times, candles were placed on it, thereby trying to recreate the light of the evening star illuminating the way for the Magi.

Over the years, children's crafts made from colored paper, candies and apples began to be used for decoration. Today they are replaced with a variety of toys, garlands and sparkling tinsel.

Another Christmas plant is the evergreen mistletoe (Viscum), which has many omens associated with it. Residents of Scandinavia consider it the personification of goodness and peace, and other countries believe that mistletoe protects the house from lightning, and also scares away all sorts of evil spirits.

But the British have the most romantic tradition - with the onset of Catholic Christmas, they kiss, finding themselves under the branches of this marvelous bush.

On the eve of Christmas in the Czech Republic, it is customary to decorate Christmas trees, present each other with gifts and sit down to the festive table. Then family members, according to tradition, tell fortunes on apples together - next year will definitely be happy if, when you cut the fruit across, you see the correct star from the seeds.

Edible decorations made from chocolate and marmalade are hung on the Christmas tree in Austria. Household members come out to the festive table, wearing their best suits, and the doors are not bolted - according to established tradition, friends and acquaintances can join the meal at any time.

Christmas, the American way, means visiting friends and family, singing Christmas songs together, receiving gifts from Santa Claus, and showering each other with gifts.

On Christmas night in Spain, people put on folk costumes and go out into the streets, where they have fun, dance and sing songs. Anticipating the holiday, people, just before the start of the Christmas mass, gather at the main entrance to the temple, join hands and dance.

Christmas feast

At Christmas, the festive table is traditionally decorated with special dishes - different for each country. In England, a mandatory Christmas dish is turkey baked in the oven with gooseberry sauce, but in the USA, turkey is served only with cranberry sauce.

Turkey baked in white wine is a staple Christmas dish in France. In Germany, traditionally, they eat roast goose.

Duck or goose stuffed with apples is eaten at Christmas in Denmark, in Greece - turkey in wine, and in Ireland - turkey or ham.

At Christmas in China, where there are Catholic Christians, they prepare an imperial dish - Peking duck.

In Austria, Hungary and many Balkan countries they believe that you cannot eat poultry on Christmas - happiness will fly away, so they do not have poultry on the Christmas table.

In Scandinavian countries, for Christmas they make blood sausage, salt and smoke meat. In some areas of Norway, the main dish at Christmas is fish, and some families prefer turkey on this day.

Italians prefer to put fish or seafood on the festive table on Christmas, and in Portugal it is customary to eat baccalao - a dish of dried salted cod.

Spit-roasted suckling pig is served in Spain. In Belgium, veal sausage with truffles is eaten during Christmas dinner. In Holland - rabbit, venison or game. In Luxembourg, blood sausage is preferred. The Czechs are famous meat eaters, but they always serve fish on the Christmas table.

On Christmas night, some families, following long-standing Catholic traditions, invite lonely old people and simply very poor people to their table.

Christmas is the main family holiday for Catholics. It is celebrated by everyone, even people who do not believe in God. In Catholic countries, according to tradition, the whole family gathers at the Christmas table.

Congratulations

On Catholic Christmas, everyone tries to say a lot of warm and kind words to each other - the Internet is full of congratulations dedicated to the Savior’s birthday. For example:

The twenty-fifth of December is Christmas for Catholics.

This is a great holiday, it brings magic.

On this day the Son of God came to earth

And he delivered the whole world from sins and evils.

This is a sacred holiday, it gives love.

Let it bloom in your soul again and again!

Christ appeared - the star shone,

Illuminating the earth with your light.

The Magi hurried there with gifts,

Where the star pointed the way.

And every year on Christmas Day

Everything is covered with magic,