Holy Night

The Christian liturgical year knows two outstanding festival cycles: the Easter cycle and the Christmas cycle. With the former, Christians remember the death and resurrection of Jesus, and with the latter, his birth and incarnation. Christmas, however, also reminds the faithful that the risen Lord will return at the end of times (Acts 1:11), which is why the festival unites both temporal perspectives. While the date of Easter is determined by the beginning of the spring full moon and is therefore flexible, the Christian churches have predominantly celebrated the feast of the birth of the Lord on December 25th since the year 336, on which the Romans celebrated the festival of the unconquered sun god (Natale solis invicti), which they reinterpreted in a Christian context. Since the actual feast day is represented by December 25th, the liturgical preparation period for the feast, which varies in length among different Christian traditions, ends on December 24th. Following the tradition from Luke 2:8, that the shepherds "kept watch over their flock by night" when the angel announced the incarnation of God to them (Luke 2:9-15), the night vigils of this day merely lead into the feast day, which reaches its peak in the morning hours during the Eucharistic celebration for the birth of the Lord. This is evident, for example, in the Roman Rite, where the announcement of the birth of Jesus to Joseph (Mt 1:18-25) is still read on the evening of December 24th. Nevertheless, in German-speaking areas, liturgical celebrations for children often take place in the afternoon of December 24th. Similarly, the Evangelical Lutheran liturgy, which provides for its Christmas Eve service on this evening, adheres to this practice. Therefore, in the German-speaking world—unlike in other countries such as Great Britain or the United States—Christmas presents for children are usually given on December 24th.