The Nativity of Our Lord
- The "Angels' Mass", held at midnight as Christmas Eve turns to Christmas Day.
- The "Shepherds' Mass", held on Christmas morning.
- The "Mass of the Divine World", also known as the "Kings' Mass", held during the day on Christmas.*
The meaning of various Christmas Symbols
🏙Bethlehem: Jesus’ birthplace which is translated as “house of bread” as well as the symbolism of Jesus being placed in a feeding trough, reminds us that He is the Bread of Life. A Virtual Tour of Where Christ was Born The Spot Where Christ was Born
🏘️Creches: Begun as a live Nativity by Saint Francis of Assisi, from this tradition grew the Christmas village tradition to add detail to the Nativity scene. International Nativity Scenes
❤️💚Red and Green: Jesus’ Passion (His Blood) and His life/birth (green is the color of growth and life).
🍪 Gingerbread and Eggnog: Gingerbread was believed to have curative powers and ginger was a treasured spice since ancient times. Its counterpart eggnog is an Americanized version of the holiday drink known as lamb’s wool.
🌟Candles/lights/stars: To symbolize the star of Bethlehem and Jesus as Light of the World. In Scandinavia, while the Christmas flame burned it was believed that the light conferred a blessing on all it touched. Families would bring things within the candlelight rays to wish for more in the year to come. Afterwards the candle would be saved for barn animals or against storms. Some peoples believed that the remains of the candle kept their power beyond Christmas. In Sweden people rubbed the stub of the candle against their farming equipment or used it to make the sign of the cross over their animals. In Estonia, Germany, and Lithuania candles are left at grave sites.
🎄Christmas Tree: To symbolize the tree in the Garden of Eden as well as the Tree of the Cross on which Jesus would die for our sins. The ornaments symbolize the apples (red) and the Eucharist (gold). Pinecones, the seeds of the Christmas tree represent fertility, rebirth and family and hope as they bear the next tree to grow.
🎁Gifts: We remember that Jesus is the gift of the Father as well as the gifts of the Wise men. The popular Christmas Ballet and its subsequent icon, the Nutcracker is a festive icon due to the original ballet taking place on Christmas Eve and the nutcracker being a Christmas gift. It became popular as a Christmas tradition in America due to Disney’s Fantasia.
🔔Bells: To remember how the angels gloriously did announce the Savior’s Birth. English and Irish legend says the devil died when Christ was born. Therefore, bells would toll "the devil’s knell" on Christmas Eve, sometimes they would ring to recall the years since Christ's birth and to ward off evil. Church bells were also rung to ward off thunderstorms, witches, and disease. Superstition said the dead go to Heaven to the sound of church bells.
🎤🎭Carols and Mumming: First sung as prayers when St. Francis established the nativity scene tradition. Some cultures call caroling wassailing, which includes toasts. Some cultures "wassail the trees" in order for them to bear good fruit. In Greece, those who wassail go around with a boat which would be filled with goodies as a reward, this ship symbolizes the arrival of St. Basil. The Christmas Ship also symbolizes Jesus coming to us. Mumming is a sister to caroling as loud noises are made and disguises are donned during the 12 days of Christmas to ward off evil spirits. These days according to legend coincide with the weather for the year. Whatever happens on the first day of Christmas reflects January’s weather, the 2nd for February and so on.
🎅🏻Santa: Santa is based off of St. Nicholas (Saint ‘Claus) hearing that local women would be given away if their dowry wasn’t paid, he threw enough money for their dowry down the chimney that landed in their stocking. His generosity marks this holy season. In England, children burn their letters and believe magic will bring their wishes to Father Christmas. Associated symbols like reindeer and the North Pole come from the poem "A Visit from St. Nicholas". Because Santa is depicted dressing warm and is magical he must live in a cold and secretive place, reindeer have the same reasoning.
🧝🏼Christmas Sprites and Elves: Elves come from the belief that ghosts, fairies and the like are active during Christmas time. In Estonia, loud work disturbed the spirits, thus it should be done at a minimum during Christmas. Some cultures left food on their tables overnight during the Christmas season so that the departed could feast and in Estonia, the hearth would have a fire lit all night for them also.
🟢 Wreaths/ the Laurel plant: Used as ancient symbols of victory, they honor the Newborn King. Wreaths as unending circles symbolize God’s eternity and unending love. All Christmas greenery via legend held mystical powers of protection. Fairies hid behind the leaves and thus greenery needed to be removed after Epiphany and done so respectfully and ceremoniously.
🌾Rosemary: Legend says during the Flight to Egypt, Mary dried Jesus’ clothes on Rosemary and God granted them a wonderful smell.
🌿Ivy: As ivy clings to what it grows on, so shall we cling to God!
👑Holly: The Crown of Thorns. It may also symbolize the Blessed Virgin's love for God. In the past, Holly leaves were for cures. Picking holly on Christmas makes it more efficacious. Holly stays away evil spirits and catches them when placed about doors and windows. Legend says to place a sprig of holly beside the beds on Christmas Eve as protection against evil. A sprig inside the home saves from natural disasters. Holly used in church decorations was believed to be especially powerful. Holly bestows luck and blessings according to the English and German.
😘Mistletoe: Legend believed Mistletoe was used as the tree for Christ’s cross. Therefore it was made to be a parasite and to atone for its use, it would be a sign to kiss beneath. The Mistletoe Legend
🌺Poinsettia: The leaves shape resembles the star of Bethlehem and the red stands for the blood of Jesus. Legend states a pious young girl had only weeds to give the baby Jesus for Christmas but because of her love, Jesus miraculously grew the poinsettia out of them.
🌹The Christmas rose has a similar legend as the poinsettia. An angel beheld a child weeping for lack of gifts. The angel pointed where white roses bloomed which turned pink when the Christ Child touched them. The Glastonbury thorn also will bloom at this time of year, miraculously associated with St. Joseph of Arimathea. The Glastonbury Thorn
🌸🍒Cherry Tree Legend: As Mary sought refreshment from the cherries on a tree, Jesus (legends vary whether Jesus was in the womb or a Newborn) made the tree bend down so Mary could delight in their fruits.
🔴⚪️The Candy Cane: Made initially to tame children at Christmas Mass, the cane symbolizes a shepherd’s staff as Jesus is the Good Shepherd, the red represents His precious blood, which He was born to shed. The white represents Jesus’ purity and innocence.
🐦The Robin: As the fire that Joseph built to warm Jesus and Mary began to go out, a robin flew over it to keep it fanned, this turned the Robin’s breast red. The tradition continues that a robin landed on Jesus’ shoulder on Good Friday. There’s another bird that only lets out a beautiful song once it has been pierced, this bird is symbolized as Christ who showed His love by dying for us. In Hispanic cultures Midnight Mass is known as “Misa de Gallo” or Rooster Mass to recall the Rooster announcing Christ’s birth.
🕷The Christmas Spider: A poor mother who wished to give her kids a beautiful Christmas tree was troubled that she couldn’t afford decorations so the spiders came to trim her tree in what became our modern tinsel.
🐱🐴Cats and Donkeys: Tabby cats can be seen to have Mary’s monogram (M) on their foreheads to recall that as Jesus needed warming in the manger, cats gathered to warm Him and purred, in gratitude, Mary gently pet them and they were forever marked. In a similar way for carrying Mary to Bethlehem (and later, Jesus on Palm Sunday) Donkey’s were given a cross like mark on their backs. All these symbols of Christmas reminds us that all creation is brought to Christ and that Jesus was born to die for us, He loves us this much. We are grateful to God too for the involvement of Mary and Joseph in our salvation. At Christmas, the world recognizes this all the more. In Iceland's legend, the Christmas cat would pursue those who had nothing new to wear on Christmas.
👼Angels: In the Southern part of the U.S, children believe St. Gabriel sprinkled Stardust on the earth in early winter which turned into the first frost of the season as it hit the ground. Its sparkling beauty served to remind children of the coming of the Christ
Christmas Resources
Christmas with Pope Francis (A plenary indulgence is gained under the usual conditions* for listening to the Pope’s message.) *Scroll to Indulgences section of post. For those consecrated to Jesus through Mary (for Christ consecrated the world to Himself through Mary) on this feast in previous years and renew their consecration a plenary indulgence can be gained today. To make this renewal more efficacious see here. For members of the Rosary Confraternity and Living Rosary a plenary indulgence is gained under the usual conditions on any Marian feast and Christmas is such a feast as we honor the Immaculate Virgin Mary miraculously bringing forth the Son of God.
Stations of the Crib (After Advent “O come, O come Emmanuel can be replaced with an appropriate Christmas hymn.)
The Christmas Story from the Movie "Jesus" (brief clip)
Christmas and Mental Health (For those with forms of depression and dissociation, Christmas is more than one day so if you don’t feel joy on Christmas Day, talk to your therapist, it’s only the beginning.)
Celebrating Christmas Kid's Book
The Christmas Story Seen by a Mystic
A Prayer Fitting for Christmas
Christmas TV Specials and Movies
Christmas Apologetics
The Miraculous, Painless Birth of Christ
Christ truly was born on December 25th
Note: The scientific research that says a Virgin Birth while rare is possible, (although we know it didn’t occur in such ways with Mary) is interesting to note. Just as the apostles who doubted Christ’s Rising at first and eventually gave their lives for Christ as martyrs so too did Joseph have his doubts (not that he doubted Mary’s purity but his worthiness) and he later defended Her at all costs. Note above all, “nothing shall be impossible for God.”
In Response to concerns about "Mary Did You Know?": The line "this child that you delivered, will soon deliver you" doesn’t deny Mary's Immaculate Conception because Mary still needed a Savior but she had salvation applied to her at her conception because God's omnipotence saw Mary's merits and the Passion of Christ before they happened. At the same time Mary "pondered everything in Her heart" but didn't necessarily know (as God does) every miracle Christ would perform let alone the fact that the song is asking the question not asserting the answer.
CHRISTMAS AROUND THE WORLD
Iran: Similar to other cultures at Easter, Iran uses Christmas as the time for egg tapping games.
Latvia: Mummers visited homes to scare off evil spirits, promoted fertility and granted blessings.
As today is the most important birthday celebration of all, click here for more about traditional birthday customs.
A European Christmas
How Christmas Encompasses Everything
Although the Incarnation is celebrated on the feast of the Annunciation, Emmanuel is made known in a new way today. Although Easter is the high point of the church year, there is no Easter and thus no Pentecost without Christmas. Each and every aspect of our Catholic Faith and even the vast academic disciplines can be studied in this feast. Of course I won't address each and everything possible in detail but just the general nature of it as a means of showing that truly all things became sacred by Christ's most holy coming. Even time and history is split between the periods of before and after His Nativity. Mary and Joseph's obedience to the law is not only an example of their virtue but also of citizenship, leadership and even the mathematics that come with the tax as it is related to the reason for the Holy Couple's pilgrimage to Bethlehem. Science is in the Christmas story by the miraculous case of Christ's conception that astounds us. Humanities are contained by the very nature that God becomes man and enters into and shares in human psychology and sociology. The Arts are celebrated in the music of the angels, fashion in the swaddling cloths of Christ, Marriage by not only the love of Mary and Joseph but the marriage of humanity to divinity in the person of Jesus Christ. Surely there is interest in the academic disciplines but for each career, each personage do certain disciplines apply whereas social sciences and those things which are necessary for all mankind are all the more addressed in the Christmas story. If the secular areas of life are contained therein, how much more then are the dogmas of our faith reflected in Christ's Nativity and the symbols we use to proclaim and celebrate it. The Candy Cane reflects the Divine Mercy Devotion, the world pays greater attention to Mary and Joseph, uses icons to recall the Nativity and even the name of Christ's Birthplace reflects the Eucharist. Indeed every devotion and even academic discipline and interest is found in the mystery of The Word Made Flesh!
(Relic of Christ’s Crib, St. Mary Major)
Link Disclaimer Christmas is the time to embrace all people as God did when He came in the flesh on Christmas.
Sources Used (under construction): https://billpetro.com/history-of-mistletoe
*stmargaretmary.org
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