Christian Celebrations: Christmas and Easter

Christmas celebrates Jesus’ birth. For Christians, its importance goes beyond the birth of a remarkable teacher: it celebrates the Incarnation, the belief that God became human in Jesus. John 1:14 describes this as the ‘Word made flesh’. Christians understand this as showing God’s love for humanity: God entered human life, and Jesus came to bring salvation, saving people from sin and its consequences.

Most Christians celebrate Christmas Day on 25 December. Some Orthodox Christians celebrate it on 7 January, because their churches follow a different calendar. This does not mean that all Orthodox Christians celebrate in January. The Gospels do not give the actual date of Jesus’ birth.

In many churches, Advent begins four Sundays before Christmas. Christians prepare through prayer, Bible readings and worship. Lighting candles on an Advent wreath can help them reflect on themes such as hope, peace, love and joy as they look forward to celebrating Jesus’ coming.

How Christians celebrate Christmas

Christmas worship connects familiar customs with beliefs about Jesus:

• Nativity plays and scenes retell the story of Jesus’ birth, helping children and adults remember the event being celebrated.
• Carols express beliefs about Jesus’ birth through music, bringing people together in worship.
• Church services, including Midnight Mass for many Catholics, celebrate Jesus’ birth through prayers, readings and worship. Mass includes the Eucharist, also called Holy Communion, which remembers Jesus’ sacrifice. Some churches also hold Christingle services.
• Giving gifts can recall the gifts brought to Jesus by the Magi, or wise men, and express the belief that Jesus is God’s gift to humanity. Charity collections and helping others put generosity into practice.

Matthew 2:1–12 recounts the Magi visiting Jesus with gifts. Many Christians remember their visit at Epiphany, following the twelve days of Christmas. Because the Magi came from outside Jesus’ own people, their visit is understood as showing that Jesus’ significance extends to all peoples.

Family meals and exchanging cards can accompany religious celebrations, but these customs are also enjoyed by people who are not Christian. For believers, the distinctive religious focus remains thanksgiving for Jesus and the Incarnation.

Easter: celebrating victory over death

Easter celebrates the belief that Jesus rose from the dead on the third day after his crucifixion. Christians believe his resurrection shows that death has been overcome and gives them hope of eternal life with God. His death and resurrection are therefore central to Christian beliefs about salvation.

In 1 Corinthians 15:20, Paul writes that Christ has been raised from the dead, ‘the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep’. Firstfruits are the first part of a harvest: Paul uses this image to explain that Jesus’ resurrection gives hope that others will also rise. Easter is therefore both a celebration of Jesus’ resurrection and a source of hope for believers themselves.

Unlike Christmas, Easter does not have a fixed calendar date. Its timing is calculated using the lunar cycle, and Western and Orthodox churches sometimes celebrate it on different Sundays.

Lent and Holy Week: preparing for Easter

In many Western churches, Lent begins on Ash Wednesday and is traditionally a forty-day period of preparation. Christians may pray more, give up something they enjoy, fast, raise money for charity or volunteer. These practices encourage repentance—turning away from wrongdoing—and greater attention to God and other people.

Holy Week recalls the final days of Jesus’ life:

• Palm Sunday remembers Jesus entering Jerusalem. Churches may distribute palm branches or palm crosses as they hear the account of his arrival.
• Maundy Thursday remembers the Last Supper. Christians may receive Holy Communion, and some services include foot-washing, recalling Jesus’ service to his disciples. His command, ‘Love one another as I have loved you’ (John 13:34), connects worship with serving others.
• Good Friday remembers Jesus’ crucifixion. Services are solemn, with readings about his suffering and death. Some Christians fast; some services last three hours, recalling his time on the cross. Catholic churches may strip altars bare as a sign of mourning.

The movement from Good Friday’s sorrow to Easter’s joy expresses the connection between Jesus’ sacrifice and his victory over death.

How Christians celebrate Easter

Easter services include readings about the resurrection, joyful hymns and flowers. Christians may greet one another with ‘Christ is risen!’ to proclaim the belief they are celebrating.

Many Catholic and Anglican churches hold an Easter vigil on Saturday night. It begins in darkness, and the Paschal candle is lit to symbolise the risen Christ. The movement from darkness to light expresses the change from death to new life; the service includes Holy Communion.

Many Orthodox churches celebrate with a midnight liturgy and may hold a candlelit procession. Light and the declaration ‘Christ is risen!’ likewise express joy at the resurrection. Other Christians attend Easter Sunday services centred on preaching, prayer and hymns. Different forms of worship can therefore communicate the same central belief.

Why both festivals matter

A Christian might give Christmas particular importance because it celebrates God entering human life: without Jesus’ birth, his earthly mission would not have taken place. Another might give Easter greater importance because the resurrection is central to salvation and hope of eternal life, as Paul explains.

A justified comparison should explain the basis for the judgement. Easter can be regarded as central because it celebrates victory over death, while Christmas remains essential because it celebrates the Incarnation. The festivals are connected parts of the Christian understanding of Jesus, rather than unrelated celebrations.

• Meaning: Jesus’ birth and the Incarnation; God’s love and gift of salvation.
• Authority: John 1:14 — the ‘Word made flesh’.
• Preparation: Advent; prayer, readings and candles.
• Practices: Nativity plays, carols, church services, Midnight Mass, gifts and charity.
• Dates: most celebrate on 25 December; some Orthodox Christians on 7 January.
• Epiphany: recalls the Magi’s visit, showing Jesus’ significance for all peoples (Matthew 2:1–12).

Easter

• Meaning: Jesus’ resurrection; victory over death and hope of eternal life.
• Authority: 1 Corinthians 15:20 — Christ as ‘firstfruits’, giving hope of resurrection for others.
• Preparation: Lent; prayer, self-denial, repentance and helping others.
• Date: changes annually; Western and Orthodox dates may differ.

Holy Week sequence

• Palm Sunday: entry into Jerusalem; palm branches or crosses.
• Maundy Thursday: Last Supper; Communion and sometimes foot-washing. John 13:34 teaches love for others.
• Good Friday: crucifixion; solemn services and sometimes fasting.
• Easter Sunday: resurrection; joyful worship, readings and hymns.

Differences in Easter worship

• Catholic/Anglican: Easter vigil, Paschal candle and Communion.
• Orthodox: midnight liturgy, often a candlelit procession and ‘Christ is risen!’
• Shared meaning: light and joyful worship express resurrection and new life.

Comparison: Christmas celebrates God becoming human; Easter celebrates the resurrection at the heart of Christian salvation.