The Christmas Circle

It contains the celebration of the walk of Jesus on earth, the walk in the state of his humiliation and shows him primarily as the prophet who is to come into the world. The celebration of Christmas is preceded by a preliminary celebration of four Sundays, which is called the Advent. The first preparation with the three following falls each time on a Sunday. The first trace of the celebration of Sunday is found in Acts chap. 20, 7. It was the day of the Lord for the Christians, the weekly holiday of His resurrection. Already in the second century, working on Sunday was considered a sin. Since the emperor Constantine the Great, however, the celebration of Sunday was introduced as a stricter one. Sunday is celebrated as the first day of the week in all Christian churches.
On the basis of Colossians 2:16, the Lutheran Church does not consider Sunday to be a divine foundation, but only an ecclesiastical order. But in order to be able to attend to the divine service undisturbed, to deal with divine things in general, and for the sake of love and peace, Lutherans refrain from all work, except for real works of necessity and love.
The feast of Advent always falls on a Sunday. The Advent season, with which the church year begins in most Catholic and Protestant countries, is therefore actually the time of preparation for Christmas. Catholics prepare for Christmas during this time by penitential exercises, fasting, and prayer. Some claim that the Apostle Peter ordered Advent; others place the origin of Advent only in the fifth century; still others, however, say that Pope Gregory the Great ordered this feast. Since the sixth century it has not been permitted to hold wedding feasts during Advent. The feast of the Annunciation, also called the feast of the Conception and the feast of the Presentation of Christ in the Temple, is solemnly celebrated in the Catholic Church. These Marian feasts are also solemnly celebrated in the Lutheran Church, since they are actually feasts of Christ. The feast has been celebrated since December 8, 1854, when the pope solemnly declared as a dogma that in case of loss of blessedness one must believe that Mary was also conceived without sin. The feast arose in 1145, but it did not want to be generally accepted because of the Dominicans' opposition to the doctrine of Mary's immaculate conception, which the Franciscans asserted.
The memorial day of St. Thomas the Apostle is celebrated on December 21. The memorial days of the apostles are dedicated to the memory of their martyrdom. They are called their birthdays because on them they were born to eternal life.
The celebration of Christmas was already common in the fifth century. It derives its origin in part from paganism. There the Romans celebrated the Saturnalia with feasts, also they celebrated the return of the sun and sent gifts to each other. Why now the Christians likewise held festivals on such days has already been noted. This festival is called Christmas because on this day the Son of God appeared as the light of the world through his birth. And because God honored his dearest Son and thus gave us the dearest, best, and greatest thing he had, Christians send gifts to one another as an expression of their joy.
Christmas is followed by three death days: the memorial day of the martyr and first blood witness Stephen on December 26; the memorial day of the apostle and evangelist John on December 27 and the memorial day of the innocent infants of Bethlehem on December 28. By the way, this holiday seems to be very old.
New Year's Day. The New Year's Day is the first of January, on which the civil calendar year begins. It is the octave of Christmas, because Jesus was circumcised on the eighth day, and this is its true meaning. The origin of New Year's wishes is to be sought among the Romans; this usage passed into Christianity. Unfortunately, these wishes are often quite vain.
The feast of Epiphany or the Feast of the Epiphany. It is called the feast of the wise men, because the newborn Saviour appeared to the wise men from the east. It is also called the Christmas of the Gentiles, because these Gentiles are the firstfruits of the fullness of the Gentiles. But this feast is erroneously called the feast of the three holy kings, and it is still more erroneous that they are called by their names: Caspar, Melchior, Balthasar. On the eve of the feast the holy water is consecrated in the Catholic church. Incidentally, it is actually the early church mission feast of the Occident. It should also be noted that it is the baptismal feast of the Church of the East.
Fabian and Sebastian. The commemoration day of these two calendar saints falls on January 20. Fabian was a Roman bishop in the third century and a praiseworthy man; he suffered martyrdom under the Emperor Decius in 251, as did Sebastian on the orders of the Emperor Diocletian.
Mary's marriage falls on January 23 in commemoration of Mary's betrothal to Joseph.
The feast of Paul's conversion is celebrated on January 25. It is a particularly important day for Western Christianity, since in Paul the actual apostle to the Gentiles was given by God through this conversion. Luther therefore wants this great miracle to be preached every year.
The Feast of the Candlemas, or Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary, or the Feast of the Presentation of Christ in the Temple, is celebrated in our country on February 2, or the Sunday nearest to it. Because on this day the laity carry consecrated wax candles lit during Mass, it is called the Feast of the Candlemas; because on this day Mary made her first visit to church and offered the purification sacrifice prescribed by law for women in childbirth, it is called the Purification of Mary.
The Memorial Day of St. Matthias the Apostle is celebrated on February 24.
Gregory's Day is celebrated in memory of this saint on March 12. People paint him in different ways.
The Gregorius Festival is a school festival that was popular in the past, especially in Saxony. In 328, Pope Gregory IV decreed that a special children's and youth festival be held in honor of Pope Gregory I, who founded the first singing school in Rome.
The feast of Joseph, in memory of Joseph, the foster father of Jesus, is celebrated on 12 March as a feast day commanded by the Pope.
Mary's Annunciation takes its name from the fact that the angel announced to Mary that she had been chosen by God to be the mother of the Son of God. It is also called the Conception of Mary, because on that day Mary conceived the Son of God by faith through the Holy Spirit. This feast is now celebrated as the Feast of the Immaculate Conception of Mary and falls on March 25 for obvious reasons. It is now celebrated with great pomp by the Catholic Church. On December 8, 1854, Pope Pius IX solemnly declared that Mary was also conceived without sin and commanded that this be believed in case of loss of blessedness.
Before we talk about the Easter circle, a few remarks should be made about the Sundays before Easter and then about Lent and Shrovetide.
Septuagesimä is the ninth Sunday before Easter, the seventieth day. The Introit is taken from Psalm 18:5 and 7: "The bands of death compassed me about etc."
Sexagesimä, the eighth Sunday before Easter, or the sixtieth day. Introit: Psalm 44:24- 27: "Awake, O Lord, why sleepest thou? etc."
Quinquagesimä or Estomihi. Introit: Psalm 31:3, 4: "Be to me a strong rock and a fortress, that you may help me etc."
Invocavit, the first Sunday in Lent, the fortieth day before Easter, which begins the forty-day fast in the Catholic Church. Introit: Psalm 91:15, "He calleth unto me, and I will hear him etc."
Reminiscere. Introit: Psalm 25:6, 22: "Remember, O Lord, thy mercy, and thy lovingkindness, which was from the world etc."
Oculi. Introit: Psalm 25:15, 16: "Mine eyes look always unto the LORD, for he shall draw my foot out of the net."
Lätare. Introit: Isaiah 66:10, 11: "Rejoice over Jerusalem and be glad over her etc."
Judica. Introit: Psalm 43:1, 2: "Judge me, O God, and plead my cause against the unholy people, and deliver me from the false and wicked etc."
Lent, as has been said, consists of forty days. During this time one should abstain from eating meat, repent of one's sins, contemplate and confess the passion of Christ, and thus prepare oneself for Easter communion, which no Catholic may avoid if he loses his blessedness.
Ash Wednesday. Pope Gregory the Great made this feast the beginning of Lent around the year 600. The day before is called Shrovetide [Fastnacht], because in the night of the same with twelve o'clock the Lent actually begins. The Catholics are wont to sprinkle their heads with consecrated ashes, to testify their repentance of the follies and foolish things they have committed in Carnival, calling to one another, "Man, remember that thou art earth, and shalt become earth again, etc." The Catholics still have as fast days the Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday of the week of Quatember, and the days before the fast days as days of abstinence, on which they may eat no meat, all Fridays and Saturdays.