An Article Written by Father Pisut for the Chariton Herald-Patriot

Some people may wonder why the Catholic church in town had violet colored ribbons on the wreathes on her doors before Christmas, why there was no baby Jesus in the manger before Christmas and why we keep our decorations up for so long after Christmas seems to be over. The 
answer is that on the Catholic liturgical calendar Christmas starts later than people think and extends far past one day. What many people think of as the Christmas Season is for Catholics the Advent Season leading up to Christmas. Violet, as a penitential color, signifies the anticipation of the four weeks of Advent leading up to the birth of our Lord and thus his absence from the nativity scene.  Christmas day actually begins the Christmas Season. The Christmas Season lasts for several weeks and includes many great feasts celebrating God’s plan of salvation history. While for many people Christmas is a single day and ended with the stroke of midnight on December 26 the Catholic Church celebrates Christmas as an Octave (eight day celebration). In effect this is one long day. This is because the celebration of the birth of our Savior is so momentous that it can’t be contained in one mere day. The Sunday after Christmas, or December 30^th if Christmas is on a Sunday, celebrates the Feast of The Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph. January 1^st, the eighth day of the Octave of Christmas, celebrates The Solemnity of Mary the Mother of God or Theotokos (God-Bearer). This is the Greek title given to her at the Council of Ephesus in 431 acknowledging that Mary bore God into the world in the flesh. January 1^st also celebrates the giving of The Most Holy Name of Jesus at his Circumcision. January 6^th celebrates The Solemnity of the Epiphany of Our Lord. This is the coming of the three wise men to pay homage to Christ and signifies the acceptance of Christ as Savior by the non-Jewish or Gentile peoples. Lastly, Christmas Season ends with the Sunday Feast of the Baptism of the Lord, which this year is January 13^th, in which Jesus begins his earthly ministry. So for those who may think that the Catholic Church’s timing may be a little off at this time of year realize that because the birth of our Lord is such a special event we like to take time to properly prepare for it, celebrate it and bask in our Lord’s light. Merry Christmas!