On December 25, Catholics, Protestants and most Orthodox celebrate Christmas. This is one of the main Christian holidays, it is dedicated to the miracle of the birth of Jesus Christ in Bethlehem. This year, the Orthodox Church of Ukraine also allowed to celebrate Christmas on December 25.

Christmas traditions.

For believers, Christmas is a bigger holiday than New Year's.. It is preceded by Advent - a period of fasting and repentance.. The symbols of Advent are a wreath of spruce or pine cones and candles.. It is customary to light them on every Sunday of Advent, by the end of this period all four candles are burning on the wreath. They symbolize the seasons, and the wreath symbolizes the annual cycle..

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Another attribute of Advent is the calendar - it allows you to track the number of days left until Christmas.. In the modern world, treats, gifts or tasks are placed in the advent calendar for children, completing which you can get a surprise. The same calendars with gifts exist for adults..

Celebrate Christmas for eight days, they form the Octave of Christmas.

On December 26, the feast of the holy martyr Stephen falls; on December 27, the memory of the holy apostle and evangelist John the Theologian is celebrated; on December 28, the Innocent Infants of Bethlehem. On the Sunday that falls on one of the days from December 26 to December 31, or December 30, if Sunday does not fall on these days in a given year, the feast of the Holy Family is celebrated: the Infant Jesus, Mary and Joseph. January 1 is the feast of the Holy Mother of God.

The celebration continues after the Octave, until the feast of Epiphany, which is celebrated a week after Epiphany.. All this time the clergy wears white clothes..

Christmas is a family holiday, which is usually spent in the circle of relatives and friends.. It is customary to attend the service, on Christmas Eve, which precedes the holiday, the whole family gathers at the festive table.

On Christmas morning, it is customary to look for gifts under the pillow.. It is believed that Santa Claus brings them (Peer Noel, Sinterklaas, Yolupukki, St. Nicholas). He manages to spread all the gifts in one night, moving on a sleigh pulled by deer, and enters the house through the chimney. Santa has helpers - elves.

In addition to the Christmas tree and wreath, there is another attribute of Christmas - lit candles.. The oscillating flame of a candle reminds believers of the gospel words: “The light shines in the darkness and the darkness did not embrace Him”.