The Christmas Kalenda: what it is and when it takes place

The Christmas Mass is one of the most significant moments of the year for every Christian’s spirituality. Let us discover the Christmas Kalenda and other special rites.

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 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, or Calenda, is one such example.

Buy Now:

Baby Jesus figurines

A section entirely dedicated to Baby Jesus statues made of wood, wood paste, resin, and plaster…

The Christmas Kalenda

The Kalenda is a liturgical composition that was once included in the Hour of Prime of the Liturgy of the Hours, or Breviary. It was the moment of prayer that monks observed around six o’clock in the morning. The word Kalenda comes from the Latin kalendae, meaning the first day of each month. 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 remains alive and has taken on a new and special meaning over time. Perhaps this is due to its sung form, 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 — “On the eighth day before the Kalends of January — that is, the twenty-fifth of December — the fifteenth moon”). The Kalenda is essentially an announcement of the birth of Jesus, told in a manner reminiscent of the Prologue of the Gospel of John, read during the Mass on Christmas Day. It begins with a broad, comprehensive vision of time and history — the relationship between God and humankind — and leads to the coming of Jesus Christ, to His becoming flesh on this unique night.

Today, during the Christmas Mass in Rome, the Kalenda 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:
“After many centuries since the creation of the world,
[…] and many centuries since the Flood,
[…] thirteen centuries after the exodus of Israel from Egypt under the guidance of Moses;
and so on, until it concludes:
In the forty-second year of the reign of Caesar Octavian Augustus,
when peace reigned throughout the world,
Jesus Christ, eternal God and Son of the eternal Father,
wishing to sanctify the world by His coming,
having been conceived by the Holy Spirit,
after nine months was born in Bethlehem of Judea of the Virgin Mary, made man.”

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.

The Christmas Novena

Another typical custom of the Christmas season is the Christmas Novena, a form of popular devotion that is not official — meaning it is not part of the canonical liturgy of Christmas — 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 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 using passages from the Old Testament expressing longing, expectation, and finally joy for the coming of Jesus. The sung parts and the simple, catchy melody contributed to the success and widespread adoption of this Novena.

Four Masses for Christmas

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

• The Vespers of Christmas Eve, the time of expectation;
• First Mass: at midnight, celebrating “the eternal birth of the Word in the splendour of the Father”. Once known as ad galli cantus, it commemorates the birth of Jesus into the world;
• Second Mass: at dawn, celebrating “His temporal manifestation in the humility of the flesh”, instituted to honour the revelation of Jesus Christ to the shepherds;
• Third Mass: in broad daylight, celebrating and honouring the spiritual and daily birth of Christ in the hearts of the faithful and “His final return at the Last Judgement”,
  as stated in the Liber Sacramentorum by Cardinal Alfredo Ildefonso Schuster, which contains the texts and details of the gestures by which the acts of worship in the Roman Missal are celebrated.

The Anticipated Christmas Mass

This year as well, due to COVID, Pope Francis has decided to bring forward the Christmas Night Mass to 7:30 p.m. on 24 December. This is a decision made out of prudence, as was the cancellation of the event in Piazza di Spagna on 8 December for the Feast of the Immaculate Conception.

Buy Now:

Pope Francis

Here you can find everything from the Good Shepherd papal cross of Pope Francis to rosaries, pictures with the Pope’s image, and more…