When Does Christmas End?
We all know that Christmas officially begins on Christmas Eve, but when does Christmas officially end?
On January 6th, the Feast of the Epiphany, the Church celebrates the biblical event where the Magi, also called the Three Wise Men or Three Kings, traveled from the East to pay homage to the newborn King, Jesus Christ. Many believe that this is the date when the Christmas season officially ends, being the end of the traditional 12 days of Christmas.
However, according to the Roman Catholic liturgical calendar, the official end of the entire Christmas season is the celebration of the Baptism of the Lord, which (usually) falls on the Sunday after Epiphany…after which Ordinary Time begins. This means that the Christmas season actually extends beyond the popular “Twelve Days of Christmas.”
Keep your nativity scene displayed up through the Baptism of the Lord, or better yet, until the Presentation of the Lord on February 2nd (which is the Feast of the Baby Jesus).
These are just suggestions, of course, to help you get the most out of celebrating the Christmas season to the full. Everyone is on the same page generally speaking in keeping the Christmas feast, even though there have naturally arisen varying Christmas traditions over the millennia in exactly how this is done from place to place.
On January 6th, the Feast of the Epiphany, the Church celebrates the biblical event where the Magi, also called the Three Wise Men or Three Kings, traveled from the East to pay homage to the newborn King, Jesus Christ. Many believe that this is the date when the Christmas season officially ends, being the end of the traditional 12 days of Christmas.
However, according to the Roman Catholic liturgical calendar, the official end of the entire Christmas season is the celebration of the Baptism of the Lord, which (usually) falls on the Sunday after Epiphany…after which Ordinary Time begins. This means that the Christmas season actually extends beyond the popular “Twelve Days of Christmas.”
Keep your nativity scene displayed up through the Baptism of the Lord, or better yet, until the Presentation of the Lord on February 2nd (which is the Feast of the Baby Jesus).
These are just suggestions, of course, to help you get the most out of celebrating the Christmas season to the full. Everyone is on the same page generally speaking in keeping the Christmas feast, even though there have naturally arisen varying Christmas traditions over the millennia in exactly how this is done from place to place.