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Circumcision of Christ
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The Feast of the Circumcision of Our Lord is a Christian celebration of the circumcision of Jesus, eight days (according to the Semitic and southern European calculation of intervals of days) after his birth, the occasion too on which the child was formally given his name, Jesus, a name derived from Hebrew meaning "salvation" or "saviour".
The circumcision of Jesus is traditionally seen as showing his descent from Abraham.
The feast day appears on 1 January in the liturgical calendar of the Eastern Orthodox Church and of the Eastern Catholic Churches of Byzantine Rite.
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The Feast of the Circumcision of Our Lord is a Christian celebration of the circumcision of Jesus, eight days (according to the Semitic and southern European calculation of intervals of days) after his birth, the occasion too on which the child was formally given his name, Jesus, a name derived from Hebrew meaning "salvation" or "saviour".
The circumcision of Jesus is traditionally seen as showing his descent from Abraham.
The feast day appears on 1 January in the liturgical calendar of the Eastern Orthodox Church and of the Eastern Catholic Churches of Byzantine Rite. It also appears in the pre-1960 General Roman Calendar, and is celebrated by some churches of the Anglican Communion and virtually all Lutheran churches.
Eastern Orthodox Church
Julian calendar 1 January corresponds, until 2100, to Gregorian Calendar 14 January. Accordingly, in Russia, 14 January in the civil calendar is known as "The Old New Year", since it corresponds to 1 January in the Julian Calendar, still used by the Church. The feast is celebrated as an All-Night Vigil, and the hymns of the feast are combined with those for Saint Basil the Great. After the Divine Liturgy, Russian Orthodox churches often celebrate a New Year Molieben (intercession).
Roman Catholic Church
Until 1960, the General Roman Calendar gave 1 January as the Feast of the Circumcision of the Lord and the Octave of the Nativity. In the 1960 revision by Pope John XXIII, included in his 1962 Roman Missal (whose continued use is authorized by the motu proprio Summorum Pontificum), 1 January is denominated simply the Octave of the Nativity. Since 1969, the General Roman Calendar celebrates 1 January as the Solemnity of Mary, the Mother of God, referring to it also as the Octave of the Nativity.
1 January is listed in of the Code of Canon Law as a Holy Day of Obligation, on which, as the following canon 1247 states, "the faithful are obliged to assist at Mass, to abstain from such work or business that would inhibit the worship to be given to God, the joy proper to the Lord's Day, or the due relaxation of mind and body". Since episcopal conferences are authorized, after getting the approval of the Apostolic See, to suppress some of the holy days of obligation or transfer them to a Sunday, 1 January is not observed everywhere as a holy day of obligation. Countries where it is observed include Canada, Germany, Greece, Italy, Poland, and the United States.
Church of England
The Church of England's Book of Common Prayer liturgy celebrates this day as the Circumcision of Christ. The newer Common Worship liturgy observes this day as a Festival called the Naming and Circumcision of Jesus.
Lutheran Church
Since it was a feast of Christ and related directly to Scriptural passages (notably Luke 2:21), the Feast of Circumcision was retained by churches of the Lutheran Reformation. It remains on most Lutheran liturgical calendars to this day, although there has been a general move to call it "The Name of Jesus." Martin Luther preached at least one notable sermon on this feast day which is still available in his Church Postils, and up until the late 1970's, Lutheran hymnbooks would contain several hymns relating to this subject.
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