When does the catholic christmas season start and end

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Dec 26, 2024 / 06:00 am

How many days is Christmas? When should you finally take those lights off the porch or remove the tree? Read on for some of the arguments for and against commonly agreed-upon end dates for Christmas.

‘Christmas is one day’

This, of course, is the simplest answer.

Christmas is typically celebrated on Dec. 25 for most of the world — or Jan. 7 for churches using the Julian calendar (Jan. 6 for yet another, considerably smaller, part of the world.) On this day, the liturgy celebrated is the feast of the Nativity of the Lord.

How long is the christmas season in the catholic church

Priests wear white vestments on Christmas, which is different from the violet they wear during Advent.

‘Christmas is an octave’

There’s also an argument to be made that Christmas is eight days long. The Church regards Christmas as an octave, or eight-day celebration.

The octave of Christmas begins on the feast of the Nativity of the Lord and concludes on the solemnity of Mary, Mother of God, on Jan. 1.

During the eight days of Christmas, cle

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when is christmas over in the catholic faith