| Christmas Eve | |
|---|---|
 Christmas Eve, an 1878 painting by J. Hoover & Son | |
| Also called | Vigil of the Nativity Christmas Evening Christmas Vigil Day before Christmas Night before Christmas |
| Observed by | Christians Many non-Christians[1] |
| Type | Christian, cultural |
| Significance | Day or evening preceding the traditional birthday of Jesus |
| Observances | Gift shopping, gift giving, goodwill greetings, Midnight Mass, other church services, meals, preparations for the arrival of Christmas gift-bringers, preparing for Christmas |
| Date |
|
| Frequency | Annual |
| Related to | Christmas, Christmastide, New Year's Eve, New Year's Day |
Christmas Eve is the evening or entire day before Christmas, the festival commemorating the birth of Jesus.[4] Christmas Day is observed around the world, and Christmas Eve is widely observed as a full or partial holiday in anticipation of Christmas Day. Together, both days are considered one of the most culturally significant celebrations in Christendom and Western society.
Christmas celebrations in the denominations of Western Christianity have long begun on Christmas Eve, due in part to the Christian liturgical day starting at sunset,[5] a practice inherited from Jewish tradition[6] and based on the story of Creation in the Book of Genesis: "And there was evening, and there was morning—the first day."[7] Many churches still ring their church bells and hold prayers in the evening; for example, the Nordic Lutheran churches.[8] Since tradition holds that Jesus was born at night (based in Luke 2:6-8), Midnight Mass is celebrated on Christmas Eve, traditionally at midnight, in commemoration of his birth.[9] The idea of Jesus being born at night is reflected in the fact that Christmas Eve is referred to as Heilige Nacht (Holy Night) in German, Nochebuena (the Good Night) in Spanish and similarly in other expressions of Christmas spirituality, such as the song "Silent Night, Holy Night".
Many other varying cultural traditions and experiences are also associated with Christmas Eve around the world, including the gathering of family and friends, the singing of Christmas carols, the illumination and enjoyment of Christmas lights, trees, and other decorations, the wrapping, exchange and opening of gifts, and general preparation for Christmas Day. Legendary Christmas gift-bearing figures including Santa Claus, Father Christmas, Christkind, and Saint Nicholas are also often said to depart for their annual journey to deliver presents to children around the world on Christmas Eve, although until the Protestant introduction of Christkind in 16th-century Europe,[10] such figures were said to instead deliver presents on the eve of Saint Nicholas' feast day (6 December).
- ^ Christmas as a Multi-faith Festival—BBC News. Retrieved 24 November 2011.
- ^ "Christmas is here- yet again!The Holy Land is unique in celebrating Christmas three times; on December 25th, January 6th and January 19th". JPost. 6 January 2015.
- ^ Ramzy, John. "The Glorious Feast of Nativity:? 29 Kiahk? 25 December?". Coptic Orthodox Church Network. Retrieved 17 January 2011.
- ^ Mary Pat Fisher (1997). Living Religions: an encyclopedia of the world's faiths. I.B.Tauris. ISBN 9781860641480. Archived from the original on 29 October 2013. Retrieved 29 December 2010.
Christmas is the celebration of Jesus' birth on earth.
- ^ "Christian Calendar". Jerusalem Center for Jewish-Christian Relations. Archived from the original on 23 July 2011. Retrieved 29 December 2010.
- ^ Kessler, Edward; Neil Wenborn (2005). A dictionary of Jewish-Christian relations. Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, United Kingdom: Cambridge university Press. p. 274.
- ^ Bible - NIV. 2005.
- ^ "Helgmålsringning". Natinalencyclopedin. Retrieved 29 December 2010.
- ^ "Vatican Today". Archived from the original on 1 January 2011. Retrieved 29 December 2010.
- ^ Forbes, Bruce David, Christmas: a candid history, University of California Press, 2007, ISBN 0-520-25104-0, pp. 68–79.