What is Catholic Christmas Day?
Catholic Christmas Day is the Western Christmas on 25 December, the feast of the birth of Jesus, listed separately in countries where Orthodox, Muslim or other communities are the majority or where several communities each keep their own Christmas. On this site it appears for Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Palestine. In Belarus, where most believers are Orthodox, 25 December is a non-working holiday alongside Orthodox Christmas on 7 January. In Bosnia and Herzegovina it is the Christmas of the Catholic community, who are mostly Croats, and 7 January is the Christmas of the Orthodox community.
Observance includes the Advent season, the Christmas Eve meal, midnight Mass, and a nativity scene in homes and churches. Many Catholic families in Bosnia and Herzegovina follow Croatian customs, such as sowing wheat on Saint Lucy's Day, 13 December, so the green shoots can decorate the Christmas table. In Belarus, where many Catholics have Polish roots, Polish customs such as the Wigilia supper on Christmas Eve are common. The Christmas Eve meal is traditionally meatless, and Christmas Day itself is a larger family meal.
Why it is observed
The Roman church was keeping Christmas on 25 December by the fourth century, and the Western churches have kept it since. Orthodox churches that follow the Julian calendar celebrate the same feast on the same Julian date, which today corresponds to 7 January. Where a country has large Catholic and Orthodox communities, as Belarus and Bosnia and Herzegovina do, the calendar can recognise both dates, so that each community can celebrate on its own.
How the date is set
Catholic Christmas Day is fixed on 25 December. Orthodox churches that use the Julian calendar celebrate Christmas on 7 January in the civil calendar, so Belarus and Bosnia and Herzegovina have two Christmas dates.
How it is observed
In Belarus, 25 December is a non-working public holiday, and the Orthodox Christmas on 7 January is one too, so the country has two Christmas breaks. In Bosnia and Herzegovina, holidays of the religious communities are observed by the members of each community, so Catholic Christmas applies to Catholics and Orthodox Christmas to Orthodox believers. In Palestine, the calendar used here lists the Western Christmas on 25 December, with 26 December also listed as a community holiday for Christians. Pay, substitute days and employer arrangements depend on the law and the contract.
Sources
Belarus
Bosnia & Herzegovina