Christmas Day 2031

What is Christmas Day?

Christmas Day celebrates the birth of Jesus of Nazareth in the Christian faith. It is the culmination of Advent in the Western churches and the first day of the Christmas season. The customs attached to it vary widely, from midnight Mass and early-morning services in Catholic countries to a family lunch and gift-opening at home in Protestant and largely secular households, with carols, nativity scenes and decorated trees nearly everywhere. The date is the same in most countries, although the way it is observed differs a great deal between regions and denominations.

Over the centuries the holiday has also gathered many cultural layers that are not strictly religious, including regional dishes, festive markets and visits from gift-bringing figures such as Santa Claus, Father Christmas or Saint Nicholas. For a large share of people who do not practise Christianity, it is mainly a family and seasonal occasion, and in many countries it is the quietest day of the whole year. Regardless of belief, the day tends to bring a near total pause to normal commercial life, which is why travel and shopping plans around it need care.

Why it is observed

The New Testament gives no date for the birth of Jesus. The earliest document to place it on 25 December is the Chronograph of 354, a Roman calendar whose relevant section liturgical historians usually date to Rome in AD 336; by the end of the fourth century John Chrysostom, Augustine and Jerome all attest the date, and scholars still debate why it was chosen. In the Greek East, 6 January was the older feast of Christ's manifestation, which is why Epiphany and Theophany remain on it, and the Armenian Apostolic Church still celebrates Christmas on 6 January. In the twentieth century several Orthodox churches, among them those of Greece, Cyprus, Romania and Bulgaria, adopted the Revised Julian calendar for fixed feasts and so keep 25 December, while the Russian, Serbian, Georgian and other churches remain on the Julian date.

How the date is set

Christmas Day is fixed on 25 December. Churches that follow the Julian calendar for religious dates, such as the Serbian and Russian Orthodox churches, keep their 25 December on what the civil calendar calls 7 January.

How it is observed

Christmas Day is a public holiday in most countries of Europe and the Americas and in many others with Christian heritage or large Christian minorities, and it is frequently paired with a second holiday on 26 December. Shops, banks and offices close, public transport is minimal or absent, and in many countries even supermarkets and petrol stations shut for the day. Visitors should plan food and travel ahead, because services are limited and few restaurants open. Countries whose churches follow the Julian date, including Russia, Georgia, Ethiopia, North Macedonia, Serbia and Belarus, hold their Christmas holiday on 7 January instead, and Moldova lists both dates. Extra pay or compensatory time off for working on the day depends on national law and individual agreements.

Sources

• Wikipedia: Christmas
• OrthodoxWiki: Revised Julian Calendar