Christmas Novena, Octave Masses

One of the best things about celebrating a Catholic Christmas is the final days leading up to Christmas Eve. There are several long-standing Catholic cultural traditions that take us through these final days of Advent, heightened with anticipation in so soon welcoming the birth of the King of Kings.

The Las Posadas ("The Inns") celebrated in Latin American countries, and Simbáng Gabi ("Night Mass") in the Philippines are just two examples of nine-day celebrations beginning on December 16 and continuing until December 24. 

There is also tradition of praying a novena for the nine days leading up to Christmas Eve. Not to be confused with the St. Andrew's Christmas Novena which began on November 30th (the feast day of St. Andrew) and is prayed 15 times daily until Christmas Eve.

There are many options for praying the Christmas Novena, all of which aim to prepare our hearts for the coming of our Saviour, Jesus Christ.  The Christmas Novena uses the biblical titles of Jesus that correspond with the O Antiphons that appear in the Liturgy of the Hours at Vespers on the final eight days before Christmas. Gretchen Filz