Christian Festivals: Christmas (Cambridge (CIE) IGCSE Religious Studies): Revision Note

Christmas and the Incarnation

• Christmas Day is the celebration of the birth of Jesus

• It is a fixed festival, celebrated on 25th December by most denominations

• As well as a celebration of Jesus’s birth, it:

  • Celebrates the Incarnation — the representation of God in human form

  • Is a time of thanksgiving because Christians believe that through the Incarnation of Jesus, God gave himself to the world to make things better

Christmas celebrations in church

• Christmas is celebrated in all Christian churches

• Lots of Catholic, Orthodox and Anglican churches have a Midnight Mass to welcome Christmas Day

• Most Christians go to church on Christmas morning to celebrate the festival

  • Church services will include prayers, readings from the Bible recounting the Nativity story, a sermon and the singing of Christmas carols

  • Some churches may recreate the Nativity scene to commemorate the occasion

• Often, children perform Nativity plays during the Christmas period to retell the story of Jesus’s birth

  • Many churches hold services in the days after Christmas until Epiphany on 6th January

Religious reasons for observing Christmas

• Christians celebrate Christmas because it marks the Incarnation: God becoming human

  • This means that God loves humanity so much that he is willing to come to earth in human form to be close to his people

• It is also a time of rejoicing because it is the starting point of the gospel story

  • Without the birth of Jesus, there would be no Christianity

• Christians believe that the birth of Jesus fulfils Old Testament prophecies about the coming of the Messiah

• They also celebrate the hope that the birth of Jesus brings as the first stage of the process of salvation from sin

• Through celebrating the birth of Christ, Christians feel united with other Christians as a worldwide community

• It shows the importance of family because Jesus was born into a human family

• At Christmas, Christians remember the humility and strength of Mary and Joseph and try to be like them

• Christmas highlights the importance of Christian teachings about giving and kindness

Social significance of observing Christmas

• Like Easter, Christmas is a festival that has taken on greater social significance over the years

• Many secular activities now take place around the religious festival

  • This means that the season has become a time of family and social gathering, charity and shared traditions, even for those who are not religious

• This shared experience can build social unity while still allowing people to recognise its religious origins and deeper message

Family and social gatherings 

• In many countries, including the UK, Christmas is a national holiday, giving people time to rest and spend time together

• Many people travel to be with loved ones at Christmas

• Shared meals and traditions help strengthen family bonds

• There is a great tradition of gathering for community events, such as carol services, school plays and fairs

Charity and helping others

• Many people donate to charities or volunteer during the Christmas season

• Churches and other groups often run food banks, gift appeals or shelters for the homeless during winter

• These activities reflect the Christian values of helping the poor, following the example of Jesus’s humble birth and his message of love and kindness

Cultural traditions

• Many cultural traditions have developed around this time of year

  • This is in part because it is also the time of year when Jews celebrate Hanukkah, the festival of lights

• Christmas lights and decorations are common in homes and town centres

• Giving and receiving gifts is common, reminding people of the gifts brought by the Magi and the idea of giving as a sign of love

• Christmas music, films and adverts often focus on being kind and generous and spending time together

Rest and reflection

• Even for non-religious people, Christmas is often a time to pause, reflect and take a break from busy routines

• It provides a mental and emotional reset, especially as it marks the end of the year

• Themes such as peace, hope and new beginnings are meaningful to people of many backgrounds

Different ways of observing Christmas

• While Christmas is a shared Christian celebration, different denominations express their faith in slightly different ways to reflect their religious traditions and practices

• Catholic and Anglican churches have Midnight Mass, a special service held at midnight on Christmas Eve to welcome Christ’s birth

• Some Protestant churches hold midnight services, but morning services are more common, depending on tradition

• Christmas Day Mass in Catholic and Anglican churches includes Bible readings recounting the Nativity story, singing carols and celebrating the Eucharist

• In Protestant churches, the emphasis is on the Bible, with readings from the Nativity story and sermons focusing on the meaning of Jesus’s birth

• Catholic churches celebrate additional feast days over the Christmas season, including St Stephen’s Day on 26th December and the Feast of the Holy Family

• In the Orthodox Church, which follows a different calendar, Christmas Day is celebrated later, on 7th January

• In Orthodox churches, fasting during Advent is completed with a special meal and church service on Christmas Eve

• On Christmas Day in Orthodox churches, the liturgy celebrating Christ’s birth is followed by priests visiting family homes to bless them with holy water