Today is Christmas – the most joyful Christian holiday

(Patria) - Catholics around the world are celebrating Christmas today, the most joyful Christian holiday that marks the birth of Jesus Christ.

Christmas, according to the Gregorian calendar, is celebrated by the Roman Catholic Church, Protestant and Anglican churches, as well as some Orthodox churches that have adopted the new calendar.

Together with Easter and Pentecost, Christmas is one of the three greatest Christian holidays. The central act of Christmas celebration is the midnight mass, and this family holiday is mostly celebrated within the circle of family and closest relatives.

On Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, Catholic believers pay homage to the manger of the Infant Jesus, which is traditionally set up in all churches.

This custom is a remembrance of the homage paid by the three wise men from the East who arrived in Bethlehem following the brightest star, which stopped exactly above the cave of birth.

The custom of placing a nativity scene in churches, with figures depicting the humble conditions of the stable where Christ was born, dates back to the 13th century. Such nativity scenes are also found in the homes of believers today. The first nativity scene was made by Saint Francis of Assisi in 1223.

In the homes of believers of the Roman Catholic Church, the Advent wreath is woven from straw and pine branches, decorated with purple ribbons, and has four red candles, representing the four Sundays of Advent, which are lit one by one each Sunday before Christmas.

According to the Gospel tradition, Jesus Christ was born on December 25 in Bethlehem, so, despite differences in calendars, this date is respected as the beginning of a new era and new history of humanity throughout the Christian world.