The Joy of the Christmastide Season!
Once Advent comes to a close and the gifts from St. Nick have all been opened and put-away, most people think the Christmas season is over, but for Christians, especially more traditional Catholics and Orthodox Christians, the Christmas season, also known as Christmastide, has actually only just begun!
Christmastide is the name given to the Christmas season in the liturgical calendar. It begins on Christmas Eve and ends on the Sunday celebrating the Baptism of the Lord. This beautiful season is one of splendor and lots and lots of JOY! After all, we are celebrating the birth of The Messiah!
This is a great opportunity to keep the splendor and excitement of the season alive and there are no shortage of feast days and celebrations to envelope the kids into!
Here are a few ideas which we celebrate in my home!
The Epiphany!
One well-known celebration is of course, The Epiphany! Also known as Three Wise Men Day, The Epiphany commemorates the day the Three Wise Men presented their gifts to Baby Jesus.
An Epiphany House Blessing
The Epiphany house blessing of the door is a wonderful tradition for all Christian families! Traditionally a Catholic ritual, it is not complicated or scary and really a whole lot of fun! You can do it all yourself, or you can have your Priest/Pastor bless your chalk before you begin. All you need is a piece of chalk and some holy water and you are ready to bless your home! This is a great link walking you through step-by-step how to do it, and/or you can grab one of our simple Epiphany House Blessing Kits here!
Epiphany International Pot Luck Party
This year we are going to celebrate with a little international pot-luck, white-elephant gift party! (Idea: from Kendra Tierney Catholic All Year Compendium) and of course, a King Cake! King Cakes celebrate the birth of The King, our Lord. Most people think of Mardi Gras and Fat Tuesday when they think of King Cakes, but they originated in France and people would eat the delicious treats all the way from the Epiphany until Fat Tuesday (the night before Lent begins on Ash Wednesday).
The tradition goes like this: Each year a French family will bake the baby Jesus into a cake. Whoever gets the slice of cake with the Christ Child in it is crowned king for the day! The remaining pieces of the Nativity scene are displayed around the cake, as shown. We have several different feve styles to choose from and think they are all so lovely! Check them out here! They make a beautiful gift!
These adorable little ceramic nativities, known as feves, are from France. Their storied history is fascinating! During the French Revolution when churches were forcibly closed and life size nativities were outlawed, the dedicated French simply shrunk their nativities to a more personal and easily hidden size.
Feves (French for “bean”) are tiny figurines that are made to be put inside a King Cake. Traditionally it was a fava bean that was placed inside the cake. Whoever finds the feve in his or her slice of cake, is king for the day. Since it was good luck to get the feve in your cake - these little items were saved and treasured.
In the 1870s the bean was replaced with small porcelain figurines; good luck charms, religious figures, saints etc, and a collecting craze was begun! The oldest feves were porcelain. As the years sped by, designs became more elaborate; different glazes were used, they were hand painted or gilded. Following WWI, due to supply shortages, plastic feves were made. The feve craze still lives on today, certainly within the King Cake, but they are still very popular gift items and collectibles.
January 1st- Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God
This beautiful feast day celebrates the beautiful gift we each have in Mary, Our Universal Mother. For Catholics, don't forget to attend Mass, as this is a Holy Day of Obligation.
Franciscan Media says, "Mary’s divine motherhood broadens the Christmas spotlight. Mary has an important role to play in the Incarnation of the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity. She consents to God’s invitation conveyed by the angel (Luke 1:26-38). Elizabeth proclaims: “Most blessed are you among women and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And how does this happen to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?” (Luke 1:42-43). Mary’s role as mother of God places her in a unique position in God’s redemptive plan."
Our remembrance of Mary’s divine motherhood injects a further note of Christmas joy. In addition, I love that January 1st is a day of prayer for world peace: Mary is the mother of the Prince of Peace, and always comes to us with prayers for peace. She is a powerful intercesor for us here. It is also the first day of a new year: Mary continues to bring new life to her children—who are also God’s children.
We hope you'll join us this year in extending the joy of the Christmas Season into more than just Christmas Day, but the true Christmastide, as it was intended to be enjoyed!
What other celebrations do you and your family enjoy? Share them with us in the comments or on social media!
Until next time,
Peace to you!
Cristina
