Do you know what the Octave of Christmas is? Escrito por: Luis Alfonso Sánchez

The Octave of Christmas is the time from the Nativity of Jesus to January 1st, when the Solemnity of Mary Mother of God is celebrated.

The Octave of Christmas is the time from the Nativity of Jesus to January 1st, when the Solemnity of Mary Mother of God is celebrated.

Christmas begins on December 24th at night with the celebration of the Christmas Mass. From there, for the following eight days, the Octave of Christmas is celebrated. This celebration, which extends for eight days, is taken from the Jewish custom of celebrating the most important religious festivals —and the birth of a child— for this symbolic number of days for them. That’s why, like Christmas, Easter has its own eighth.

The Nativity of the Lord celebrates his first coming, when God becomes small and assumes our human nature.  That day three Masses can be celebrated, according to the ancient Roman tradition, at night, at dawn and during the day.

The main feasts of the Christmas Octave

After the Nativity of the Lord, the Octave is ordered as follows:

On December 26th, Saint Stephen is remembered, the proto-martyr, who gave his life to announce Christ.  His life can be found in the book of the Acts of the Apostles.

December 27th commemorates the beloved disciple, Saint John, who announced from the experience of faith that God is Love. To learn about his life, thought and apostolate we can read the Gospel according to Saint John and the three apostolic letters.

The Feast of the Holy Innocents, on December 28th, celebrates the memory of the children killed by Herod’s blind rage because of Jesus; it can be seen in the Gospel according to Saint Matthew. The liturgical tradition calls them “Innocent Saints” and considers them martyrs. The Church remembers this day the innumerable multitude of unborn children murdered under the protection of the laws that allow abortion.

On the second Sunday of Christmas, the Church celebrates the Holy Family.  The Directory on Popular Piety and the Liturgy tells us: “The memory of Joseph, Mary and baby Jesus, who go to Jerusalem, like every observant Hebrew family, to perform the Easter rites, will encourage the whole family accept the invitation to participate together, that day, in the Eucharist”.

Finally, on January 1st, Mary Mother of God is celebrated.  And with this Solemnity the Octave of Christmas ends.

These are the main festivities of the Octave, although there are two memories that can be celebrated freely. On December 29th, we remember Saint Thomas Becket, a London-born bishop and martyr.  And on the 31st, Saint Silvester I, a fourth-century pope who ruled the Church under Constantine the Great.

Christmas time does not end on January 1st, but goes until the Monday after the Baptism of the Lord Jesus.