Starting today, What’s in the Bible? will be hosting a 6-week blog series to help you and your family through the “Tricky Bits” of this holiday season – everything from connecting our modern traditions to their sacred roots to helping you navigate holiday budgets and meal planning! Join our team of writers plus some very special guest bloggers for a Christmas blog series unlike any other.
Why is it called “Christmas”?
Yes, this may be the name of your favorite Christmas DVD, but it’s also a fairly easy question to answer! The etymological roots of the word Christmas actually tell us a lot about the holiday we love to celebrate – Christ’s Mass! Mass is traditionally a church service where the Lord’s Supper (Communion) is served, and Christ’s Mass was originally offered to the people as a celebration of the birth of Christ.
The Christ’s Mass was first offered in the fourth century, when the Catholic Church established the “Nativity Feast Day” as an official Church feast. A number of other Mass services were added to Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, to commemorate different aspects of the Christ’s birth. Finally, in the 11th Century, “Christ’s Mass” became the official title of the day, and that tradition has continued into modern times, and is now known as “Christmas”.
Here are Chuck Waggin and Brother Louie to explain, in this clip from Why Do We Call It Christmas?.
