Christmas is celebrated today/ Thousands of believers at the "Vigil of Christ" mass, a bit historic

2025-12-25 07:40:00, Aktualitet CNA

Christmas is celebrated today/ Thousands of believers at the "Vigil of

Catholic believers filled their churches at midnight, celebrating the birth of Christ with prayers and songs, with the hope of peace, prosperity, and more joy.

At St. Paul's Cathedral, the mass was led by the Metropolitan Archbishop of Tirana-Durrës, His Grace Arjan Dodaj.

A little bit of history

Christmas, also known as Christmas Eve or Christmas Eve, is a Christian religious holiday. Christians celebrate the birthday of Jesus Christ on December 25 each year, although in Eastern churches it is celebrated on January 7, due to the Julian calendar. After Easter, it is the most important holiday for Christians.

The importance of Christmas Day began to grow slowly after the coronation of Charlemagne in the year 800, on Christmas Day.

Today, Christmas Day is celebrated with the display of a nativity scene, a Christmas tree, the exchange of gifts and cards, family gatherings, and the arrival of Saint Nicholas or Santa Claus on Christmas Eve or Christmas morning. Christmas is the holiday on which Christians yearn more than ever for peace and love in the world.

Christmas is the celebration of the birth of Jesus, who is believed by Christians to be the Son of God and God himself incarnate, descended to earth to atone for the sins of humanity, and to return it to the house of God. According to the Gospels of Luke and Matthew, Jesus was born to Mary in Bethlehem, where she and her husband Joseph were resting on their way to their hometown, Nazareth, to participate in the census of the entire population ordered by Emperor Augustus.

For his disciples, the birth of Christ was foretold by various prophecies according to which the Messiah would be born from the house of David to save the world from sin.

The birth date of Jesus according to Christians is believed to be December 24-25, although there are doubts about the exact date of birth since it is not mentioned in the New Testament. This holiday is one of the most beloved and preferred holidays throughout the Christian world or, in other words, as a date of peace.

Catholicism

Christmas among Catholics and some Orthodox churches, including Albanian Orthodox (alongside Greek, Romanian, Bulgarian, Cypriot, etc.) is celebrated on December 24-25 due to the Gregorian calendar.

Orthodoxy

In some Orthodox and other Eastern churches, Christmas is celebrated on January 7th due to the Julian calendar.

Evangelism

Just like Catholics, Evangelicals and Protestant churches also celebrate Christmas on December 24-25./ CNA