Chapter I
What it celebrates
Christmas, from “Christ’s Mass”, celebrates the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem. The Gospels of Matthew and Luke tell the story: the angel’s message to Mary, the birth in a stable because there was no room at the inn, the shepherds visited by angels, the star that led wise men from the East.
For Christians the feast marks the incarnation: the belief that God became human in Jesus, entering the world as a vulnerable child.
Chapter II
How it is kept
Churches hold services at midnight or on Christmas morning, with carols, readings of the nativity story and the Eucharist. Many homes set up a nativity scene, decorate a tree and exchange gifts, a custom linked with the gifts of the wise men and with Saint Nicholas. A family meal is at the centre of the day.
The weeks before, Advent, are a time of waiting, marked by candles on an Advent wreath and calendars counting down the days.
Chapter III
Around the world
Customs vary widely: the Polish Wigilia supper on Christmas Eve, the Mexican posadas re-enacting Mary and Joseph’s search for shelter, the Ethiopian Genna on 7 January with all-night services. In much of the world Christmas is a public holiday, and its trees, lights and markets are shared by people of all faiths and none.