Christian Celebrations

Página 1

Christians use celebrations to remember and give thanks for the most important events in their faith. Celebrations take different forms to reflect the nature of the event. Some, like Christmas and Easter Sunday, are times of great rejoicing. Others, such as Good Friday, are times for quiet reflection.

Christmas

There are two accounts of the birth of Jesus, given in the Gospels of Luke and Matthew. According to Luke's Gospel, God sent Angel Gabriel to tell Mary, who was a virgin, that she would be the mother of God's son. She accepted God's will and became pregnant. She and her husband Joseph travelled to the town of Bethlehem. There, she gave birth to Jesus and was visited by shepherds. The Gospel of Matthew includes an account of the visit of the wise men from the east.

The whole season of Christmastide runs for 12 nights after 25 December to 6 January, which is when Jesus was shown to the wise men. The 6th January is therefore called Epiphany or Twelfth Night.

As a festival, Christmas shares much in common with other festivals at that time.

it is just after mid-winter, when the sun begins to shine more and the days start to grow longer

it is near the Winter Solstice, when mistletoe was seen as a sign of God's blessing

holly, also a Christian symbol, was used by ancient people as a protection from evil

Today, Christian churches hold special services, including carol services and a vigil before Christmas, midnight mass on Christmas Eve, and a special service on Christmas morning, which may include a nativity play.

Página 2

Advent

Advent starts on the Sunday nearest 30th November. It marks the start of the Christian year and is a time of preparation for Christmas. On the first Sunday of Advent, Christians light one of the four candles on Advent wreaths. On each of the next three Sundays before Christmas, they light one more candle. This is to remember the 'light' of Jesus that is about to come into the world.

Holy week

Holy week is the week just before Easter, beginning with Palm Sunday and ending with Holy Saturday. It is the final week of Lent, the six-week period of self-examination, when most Christians pray, say sorry and try to make amends for their wrongdoings, fast and give to the poor in preparation of celebrating Jesus' resurrection on Easter Sunday. Holy week is also a time of solemn church services, as Christians remember the final days and death of Jesus. The following events are remembered during the week:

Palm Sunday - Jesus' arrival in Jerusalem on a donkey, when huge crowds greeted him and threw down palm leaves. This fulfilled an ancient prophecy that the Messiah would arrive in this way. Today, Christians receive small palm crosses to remind them of the prophecy and the death of Jesus.

Holy Monday - Mary anointing Jesus with oil at Bethany as a sign of God's approval.

Holy Tuesday - Jesus predicting that Judas would betray him and Peter would deny he knew him.

Holy Wednesday - Judas arranging with the high priests to betray Jesus.

Maundy Thursday - Jesus washing the disciples' feet and the Last Supper. The washing of feet was a symbolic act to show that the disciples must be humble and serve others. On this day, churches may hold a meal reflecting the original Last Supper.

Good Friday - Jesus' death on the cross. For Christians, this is a solemn day of processions or re-enacting the events leading up to the crucifixion.

Holy Saturday - Jesus going to hell and preaching to the dead. In the evening, many Christians hold a vigil. For example, on the eve of Holy Saturday, Catholic Christians have an Easter vigil at which they celebrate the resurrection of Jesus. This is the most solemn liturgy that the Catholic Church celebrates.

Página 3

Easter Sunday

Easter Sunday celebrates the resurrection of Jesus from the dead. Jesus had been buried in a cave tomb with an enormous stone rolled across the entrance. On Sunday morning, Mary Magdalene, then other follower's of Jesus found that the stone had been rolled away and the tomb was empty. Soon after, they saw Jesus - he had risen from the dead.

Many Christians today believe in the physical resurrection of Jesus, but some more liberal Christians believe the resurrection should be interpreted metaphorically. Mainstream and liberal Christians alike celebrate this story on Easter Sunday , worshipping and praising Jesus in church services.