The origin of the liturgical year is uncertain. However, it happened over the centuries when the Christian festival was born. They are born from the desire of the Catholic Church to deepen in the moments of the life of Christ. It begins with the celebration of Sunday and Easter, then Pentecost, and continues with the rest in time.
Since many people do not know what the liturgical year is, we are going to focus on explaining it. So if you want to know the answer to that question, in addition to its characteristics, here we tell you.
What are the characteristics of the liturgical year?
It is called the calendar or specific time of each celebration of the Catholic Church, and it is also called christian year because it is the incarnation of Jesus Christ and his mysteries in the heart of the church and followers. Liturgy is the way each ritual is performed in religion. The calendar is based on specifying times and ceremonies based on the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. In this way, the Church relives each year the birth of the Son of God through the manger.
In its origins, the Christian Church considered it necessary to delve into all the steps that Jesus took while he was on earth, thus being able to commemorate each relevant moment of his life. This liturgical year began with the celebration of Sunday as "the Day of the Lord", followed by Easter, in which the resurrection of Jesus was celebrated, also considered a central celebration of Christianity, and later it was decided to celebrate the birth of Christ on the winter solstice, and in this way the different dates and ceremonies that now make up the Lord's calendar. And that they offer their faithful followers different ways to commemorate the life of Jesus Christ, while reflecting on their own works.
Liturgical year celebrations
According to the liturgical year of the Roman Catholic Church, it is celebrated with the following celebrations: Advent, Christmas, Lent, Easter and normal times.
Advent: Preparation for the arrival or birth of the baby Jesus about four weeks before Christmas. During this time, awaiting the coming of the Lord, Christians celebrate with joyful songs and prayers.
Christmas: Festive on December 25, but the festivities begin on the eve of the birth of Jesus Christ on the 24th, when the Virgin Mary, Saint Joseph and the Magi are also solemnly celebrated.
Lent: It begins on Ash Wednesday and ends 40 days later, because that is when Jesus fought temptation in the desert. It ends on Palm Sunday, the next day is the beginning of Holy Week, celebrating the Passion, Death and Resurrection of Jesus, and ends on Resurrection Sunday.
Easter week: Commemoration of the passage from death to life, starting on Easter Sunday.
Ordinary Time: It does not focus on the life of Christ, but on other religious celebrations of the saints and the different names given to the virgins. This period occupies most of the year.
Key features
The full, conscious and active participation of people allows us to truly know who Christ is in the liturgical celebration. Each liturgical celebration is a prophetic declaration of the hope of establishing the kingdom of Christ on earth and one day reaching heaven.. Throughout the year we celebrate the saints proposed to us by Christ and the Church.
Thus we can see that divine love will lead us to salvation through the church and its invitation to reflect and live according to the life of Christ. It celebrates the path of faith and takes us on the path that leads to salvation. Four Sundays after Advent, Christmas begins, and Christmas is celebrated on December 25, reminding us that God came to this world to save us.
The Epiphany takes place every year on January 6 and reminds us of the public appearance of God to all. Christmas ends here. The first common season is the day from Epiphany to Lent. Neither the first nor the second celebrate any particular aspect of the mystery of Christ. However, in these two different historical moments, the life of Christ deepens. Lent begins on Ash Wednesday and lasts 40 days before the Easter Trio.
This is a time of spiritual transformation. It begins with Palm Sunday and ends with Easter Sunday. Easter Sunday is the greatest feast of the Church, where we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus, the victory of the Lord over death and the premise of our resurrection.
There are 50 days from Easter Sunday to Pentecost, the days when the Holy Spirit is celebrated over the apostles. The second regular time continues. The liturgical year is determined from the lunar cycle and does not strictly adhere to the calendar year.
The importance of Christmas in the liturgical year
Christmas is celebrated on December 25 every year. The word "Christmas" It comes from the Latin Nativites, Meaning "birth" in Spanish. It is one of the most important celebrations of Christianity, along with Holy Week, the Resurrection and Pentecost. Christmas is a Christian holiday. This is the anniversary of the birth of Jesus Christ in Bethlehem, the Son of God, the creator of the universe. The Catholic Church, the Anglican Church, some Protestant communities and most Orthodox churches have accepted and adopted this date as the legal birth date of Jesus of Nazareth. Although it is not recorded in the holy scriptures, neither in the Old Testament nor in the New Testament.
Christmas is celebrated on December 25 of each year. This date was fixed by the bishops of the Roman Church in the fourth century AD. At this point, belief in or worship of the one true God as the creator of the universe is over. As a result, many cultures of the Roman Empire adopted sun worship.
Around the winter solstice in December, many celebrations were held. In it, a bonfire was lit to endow the sun god with power, sustain him and restore him to life. Because these days are shorter than usual, it is rejoicing when they are longer. Later, church leaders in Rome designated this day as the birth of Jesus Christ based on this winter solstice.
I hope that this information has been useful to you, and that you have been able to learn a little more about the liturgical year.
