The British Academy

On the Christmas Eve, churches around the world hold evening services.

At midnight, most Catholic and many Protestant churches hold special candlelight services. The Catholic “Midnight Mass” was first introduced by the Roman Catholic Church in the 5th century.

Christmas Masses are sometimes solemn and sometimes buoyant, depending on the particular culture that conducts them.

On this day the worshipers enter the church in communal processions.Church services often feature candlelight and music. Some also include a dramatization of the Biblical story of Jesus’ birth.