{"id":7594,"date":"2025-12-08T10:00:47","date_gmt":"2025-12-08T09:00:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.holyart.it\/com\/?p=7594"},"modified":"2025-11-26T17:39:57","modified_gmt":"2025-11-26T16:39:57","slug":"the-christmas-kalenda-what-it-is-and-when-it-takes-place","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.holyart.it\/com\/religious-items\/the-christmas-kalenda-what-it-is-and-when-it-takes-place\/","title":{"rendered":"The Christmas Kalenda: what it is and when it takes place"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Christmas Mass is one of the most significant moments of the year for every Christian\u2019s spirituality. Let us discover the Christmas Kalenda and other special rites.
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The memory of the Christmas Mass, celebrated at midnight, is certainly one of the most moving experiences for any Christian, even from childhood. After spending Christmas Eve with relatives and friends, in the warmth of the home, in that palpable atmosphere of expectation that unites both adults and children on this magical night, one would head to the church, crowded with families braving the cold, all animated by the same tireless wonder and by the joy that comes from knowing that the Baby Jesus<\/a><\/strong> has been born, celebrating once more His coming together. The Christmas Vigil is not an ordinary Mass. It has a special, unique liturgy that is renewed every year, yet deeply rooted in ancient rites. The Christmas Kalenda<\/em>, or Calenda<\/em>, is one such example.<\/p>\n

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The Christmas Kalenda<\/h2>\n

The Kalenda<\/em> is a liturgical composition that was once included in the Hour of Prime<\/strong> of the Liturgy of the Hours, or Breviary. It was the moment of prayer that monks observed around six o\u2019clock in the morning. The word Kalenda<\/em> comes from the Latin kalendae<\/em>, meaning the first day of each month<\/strong>. Modern breviaries no longer include this text, which was removed together with the Hour of Prime following the liturgical reform after the Second Vatican Council. However, the tradition of the Kalenda<\/em> remains alive and has taken on a new and special meaning over time. Perhaps this is due to its sung form<\/strong>, which gives it a festive tone, or perhaps because of the very words that begin it, and from which it takes its name (Octavo Kalendas Ianuarii, Luna decimaquinta<\/em> \u2014 \u201cOn the eighth day before the Kalends of January \u2014 that is, the twenty-fifth of December \u2014 the fifteenth moon\u201d). The Kalenda<\/em> is essentially an announcement of the birth of Jesus<\/strong>, told in a manner reminiscent of the Prologue of the Gospel of John<\/strong>, read during the Mass on Christmas Day. It begins with a broad, comprehensive vision of time and history \u2014 the relationship between God and humankind<\/strong> \u2014 and leads to the coming of Jesus Christ<\/strong>, to His becoming flesh on this unique night.<\/p>\n

Today, during the Christmas Mass in Rome, the Kalenda<\/em> is sung before the introductory rites as an announcement accompanying the beginning of the entrance procession. The composition unfolds as a sequence of chronological proclamations:
\n\u201cAfter many centuries since the creation of the world,
\n[\u2026] and many centuries since the Flood,
\n[\u2026] thirteen centuries after the exodus of Israel from Egypt under the guidance of Moses;
\nand so on, until it concludes:
\nIn the forty-second year of the reign of Caesar Octavian Augustus,
\nwhen peace reigned throughout the world,
\nJesus Christ, eternal God and Son of the eternal Father,
\nwishing to sanctify the world by His coming,
\nhaving been conceived by the Holy Spirit,
\nafter nine months was born in Bethlehem of Judea of the Virgin Mary, made man.\u201d<\/p>\n

This kind of enumeration of historical events, with its particular emphasis on numbers, the choice of places, and the mention of both historical and non-historical figures, immediately recalls the Old Testament and, more broadly, an ancient narrative approach that blended historical facts with legendary events. In this context, it serves to reaffirm the absolute historical truth of the events narrated, and in particular of the birth of Jesus.<\/p>\n

The Christmas Novena<\/h2>\n

Another typical custom of the Christmas season is the Christmas Novena<\/em><\/a><\/strong>, a form of popular devotion that is not official \u2014 meaning it is not part of the canonical liturgy of Christmas \u2014 but has long been practised by the faithful who wish to prepare properly for the birth of Jesus. During the nine days before Christmas, from 16 to 24 December, a series of prayers are recited and selected passages read to prepare for the occasion. The first to recite the Christmas Novena<\/em> were devotees of a community of Vincentian missionaries (followers of Saint Vincent de Paul) at Christmas in 1720, in the Church of the Immaculate Conception next to the Ecclesiastical College they ran. They created a Novena<\/em> using passages from the Old Testament expressing longing, expectation, and finally joy for the coming of Jesus.<\/strong> The sung parts and the simple, catchy melody contributed to the success and widespread adoption of this Novena<\/em>.<\/p>\n

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Read more:<\/div>\n

Christmas Novena: The Nine Prayers Awaiting Christmas<\/a><\/strong>
\nFrom 16 to 24 December, during those nine days that precede Christmas, believers wait for the birth of Jesus…<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Four Masses for Christmas<\/h2>\n

The Christmas season actually consists not of one, but of four Masses<\/strong>: the Vigil Mass<\/em>, the Mass during the Night<\/em>, the Mass at Dawn<\/em>, and the Mass during the Day<\/em>. These four celebrations embrace every moment of Christmas, guiding the faithful in prayer and meditation on the coming of Jesus:<\/p>\n