When Christmas celebrates the Orthodox, Catholics and Protestants

Christmas is one of the most important religious holidays, an official state holiday in almost 100 countries around the world. On this day, true believers celebrate the birth of the baby Jesus Christ in Bethlehem. Christmas is preceded by a multi-day fast, which ends with the appearance of the first evening star. When the Christmas of 2016 celebrate the Orthodox, Catholics and Protestants? The Orthodox Church praises the incarnation of the Savior on January 7, Roman Catholic - on December 25.

How and when Christmas is celebrated Orthodox and Catholic

According to the canons of the Holy Church, Orthodox Christmas is a triumph of the sacrificial divine love of God the Father to the Son and the triumph of hope for salvation. On the eve of the birth of Christ in the Orthodox churches serve the All-Night Vigil, in which the prophecies about Christmas are read and sung. At midnight morning begins: the priests sing the canon "Christ is Born" and read fragments about Christmas from the Gospel. The folk traditions of the celebration of the Nativity of Christ and Svyatok are rooted in the distant past. In this period, it was customary in Russia to arrange fortune telling, youth games and parties. Christmas trees begin with traditional treats - kutya, pies, porridge. By the holiday the owners are sure to clean the house, wash in the bath, prepare 12 dishes - this number is connected in 12 apostles who accompanied Jesus in the earthly life. Another obligatory holy ritual is carols, glorifying the birth of the infant-Savior.

What is the date of the Protestant and Catholic Christmas?

The Catholic Church celebrates Christmas on the Gregorian calendar - December 25. The holiday anticipates the Advent period, starting 4 weeks before Christmas. His goal is to prepare Catholics for a more penetrating experience of celebration. According to the established tradition, on December 25, three liturgies serve in the temples - a night mass, a mass at the dawn, a day's mass. The celebration lasts 8 days (December 25-January 1), throughout the Christmas period the clergy serve masses in white robes. For true Catholics, Christmas is a family holiday, which has exclusively religious significance. December 24, all family members attend the service, on Christmas Eve they gather at a plentiful festive table. Another characteristic element of the Catholic Christmas is the installation of a dressed fir on the eve of the feast. In European countries spruce symbolizes a paradise tree with abundant fruits.