Is Christmas Eve on December 24th or 25th?
According to Jewish tradition, the start of a day is not at midnight (0h) but at sunset. Since Jesus was born on December 25th, Christmas is celebrated at midnight on this day. According to the Jewish calendar, the start of the celebration will be at sunset on December 24th.
Currently, the evening of December 24th is called Christmas Eve. The actual Christmas day celebration is on December 25th and is known as Christmas Day. Christmas Eve typically attracts more attendees.
Christmas Eve – December 24th
According to the Gospel accounts (one of the four books of the New Testament), Jesus was born in a stable on a cold winter night. Mary, the mother of Jesus, placed him in a manger. On that night, a radiant light shone from the place where Jesus was born, illuminating the entire night sky. Shepherds and angels gathered to welcome the Messiah.
December 24th is considered Christmas Eve.
On this evening, in churches and Catholic households, a Nativity scene is set up with a manger and a bed of straw. Inside, there are statues of the Baby Jesus and Mary, surrounded by shepherds, angels, and the three wise men…
In addition, the Christmas tree is also closely associated with Christmas Eve on December 24th. According to legend, sometime between 2,000 and 1200 BC, in Europe, the tradition of displaying an Epicea tree on December 24th emerged. This tree is decorated with flowers, fruits, and wheat.
December 25th – Christmas Day
The story of Christmas morning originated from the Roman government’s prohibition of Christian activities. In order to avoid this, followers of Christ secretly celebrated Christmas on the morning of December 25th, which coincided with the Feast of the Sol Invictus (a Roman holiday dedicated to the Sun God).
Thanks to this, Christians were able to celebrate the birth of Jesus for a long time without encountering any obstacles.
Around the year 312, the Roman Emperor Constantine I decided to abandon the pagan religions and instead embrace Christianity. From this moment on, Christians were able to freely celebrate the birth of Jesus. However, it wasn’t until the year 354 that the Catholic Church officially designated December 25th as the date for Christmas.
When is Christmas Eve? Differentiating between the night of December 24th and the day of December 25th.
Christmas Eve (or Christmas Vigil) kicks off on the evening of December 24th. On Christmas Eve, people gather together and Santa Claus goes out to distribute gifts.
