It truly is the most wonderful time of the year, but for many of us, we hate to see Christmas end. Well, there is good news within the tradition!
Christmas isn’t just a day, it’s a 12 day long season called Christmastide.
The overview is, Advent, Christmastide, Epipany.
The liturgical calendar begins with Advent, the four weeks preceding Christmas.
After Advent comes Christmastide, a season that is 12 days long that ends on Epiphany. (Think of the song “On the first Day of Christmas…..”) Christmastide goes from 24 December to 5 January. Epiphany begins on 6 January.
Epiphany is the day the church remembers when the wise men traveled to meet the little baby Jesus, ending the seasonal celebration of Jesus’ birth. Click here for a more detailed article.
In summary, we prepare for the birth of Christ and remember that light will always overcome darkness during Advent. On 25 December, we celebrate the birth of Christ, and continue celebrating the miracle of God sending his Son in Christ Jesus through feasts and story, 25 December – 5 January. We end the season of Christmas on the 12th day, and then we celebrate the Epiphany the world received when wise men followed a star to see the miracle of God. We celebrate that epiphany on 6 January.
May you continue this Christmas season seeking Him as the world does! Amen.
