There are many religious people who like to practice a more faith-based Christmas experience, which includes attending mass. Here are some interesting insights and history about when the celebration and mass of Christ was introduced, as well as how it is celebrated today, including the three unique masses celebrated on December 25 of each year that most people don’t know about. .

– Around 125-136 AD Telesphorus, the second bishop of Rome, declared that public church services should be held to celebrate the birth of Christ.

– In the year 350 AD Pope Julius I and other religious leaders declared December 25 as the official date of the birth of Christ.

– 354 AD that the “Mass of Christ” was celebrated for the first time in celebration of the birth of Jesus.

– 400 AD Pope Sixtus III introduces the midnight mass and the Christmas nativity scene in Rome, in the church of Santa Maria Maggiore.

– 500 AD Bells appear in churches (although traditionally pagan).

– 575 Bishop Martin de Bracae in Germany prohibits all evergreen trees in churches and as decoration declaring them pagan.

– In the year 601 the Pope instructs churches to use vegetation as decoration for Christmas celebrations to combat pagan practices.

– Saint Francis of Assisi introduced Christmas carols into formal religious services and nativity scenes in churches in 1223.

In Bethlehem, the Church built where Jesus was born is the Church of the Nativity is the oldest extant church in the world. It was completed by Constantine the Great (who was the first Christian ruler of Rome) around AD 330 after Saint Justin Martyr identified it as the birthplace of Jesus in the 2nd century. It is located in Bethlehem, Jerusalem and built on the ruins of an older church built to replace a temple to the Greek god Adonis. They were all built over a series of caves considered to be the birthplace of Christ. It was one of the most disputed holy places for many centuries. It is one of the holiest places in Christianity:

Throughout the day, in Manager Square choirs, marching bands and pipers often entertain several thousand people who stay and pray together before the traditional Christmas midnight mass. The mass is celebrated by the main Roman Catholic official in Jerusalem. In the 1970s and 1980s, Bethlehem was packed with pilgrims from all over the world. By comparison, today turnout was reported to be much lower with some streets nearly empty. This is believed to be partly due to political unrest and barriers erected by Israel to separate Jerusalem from the West Bank, making access to Bethlehem and the Church of the Nativity difficult.

In Rome – The Urbi et Orb of the Pope. Every year pilgrims make to St. Peter’s Basilica to attend the midnight Christmas mass celebrated by the Pope celebrating the service. It is broadcast to more than 124 television networks reaching 74 different countries around the world. 46 countries enjoy the live broadcast. It is tradition for the Pope to wish his audience a Merry Christmas in 62 different languages, including Turkish, Indonesian and Chinese. The rights to broadcast the mass include a number of efficient Muslim countries, including Morocco, Tunisia, and Indonesia!

The Pope is the head of the Roman Catholic Church and of the Eastern Catholic Churches. He is the Catholic Bishop and Patriarch of Rome. Before the midnight mass, the pope has a tradition of greeting the tens of thousands of pilgrims gathered in St. Peter’s Square for his special message and blessing called Urbi et Orbi. This in Latin means “to the city and to the world”. In December 2005, his message called on all Catholics to be beacons of peace in a troubled world. From the Vatican he delivers his Christmas Eve message of peace while lighting a candle in his study window overlooking the crowds in St. Peter’s Square. It is broadcast live to 40 countries worldwide!

The Three Unique Masses on Christmas Day:

Christmas Day is unique in that it has three different Masses celebrated consecutively on the same day. This started in the western church in the 7th century:

1. The first mass is called the “Mass of the Angels” today known as the Midnight Mass.

2. The second “Mass of the Shepherds” known as the Mass of Dawn.

3. The third “Mass of the Divine Word” known as the Christmas Mass.

Christmas Day begins with the Midnight Mass. This mass corresponds to the belief that Christ was born at midnight. Also with the darkness that surrounds us at midnight, we are reminded of the spiritual darkness into which Jesus Christ, the light of the world, can dispel. An old tradition to prepare younger children for midnight mass was for an older family member to dress as an angel and carry a lit candle while singing a Christmas carol, as they approached the toddler’s bed to wake up. them for midnight mass. The second mass (Misa de Pastores) is celebrated at dawn. The shepherds eagerly went to the manger to adore the newborn Jesus and receive the gift of light from him. The theme of light is prominent in this mass to highlight the verse “A light will shine on us today, because the Lord has been born to us.” In the third Mass, “Mass of the Divine Word” our attention is drawn to the wisdom, power, and divinity of the infant Jesus.