As a resident of a Western country, when we talk about the end of year holidays, we naturally think of Christmas on December 25 and New Year on December 1.er January. However, several cultural and religious communities celebrate on different dates, or even celebrate other holidays.
There are two factors to consider to understand who celebrates what and how at the end of the year according to Solange Lefebvre, professor at the Institute of Religious Studies at the University of Montreal, holder of the chair Cultural and religious diversity: the calendar used and religion.
Christmas in four major dates
Christian Christmas as we know it in Quebec is not celebrated for everyone on December 25, mainly because of the different calendars used by the different Christian denominations.
Catholic Christians, who rely on the Gregorian calendar and who represent the majority, celebrate Christmas on December 25. Orthodox Christians celebrate January 7, as in Russia, for example, or in Ukraine. They use the Julian calendar, which is 13 days different from the Gregorian calendar.
The Gregorian calendar is the most popular, it is a solar calendar which sets the length of the year at 365.42 days. The Julian calendar is also a solar calendar, and was in effect until it was replaced by the Gregorian calendar for the majority of the world.
This variation is explained, “because there is no precise date of the birth of Jesus in the Bible, but we assume that it is around winter,” explained Mme Lefebvre.
The two denominations therefore both celebrate the same thing on the same date, but do not rely on the same calendar.
The religious event following Christmas is Epiphany, celebrating the revelation of the divinity of Christ, the professor recalled.
Epiphany is usually celebrated on January 6 for those for whom Christmas is December 25, and January 19 for those who celebrate Christmas on January 7.
“At the beginning of the Church, we mainly celebrated January 6th. Then, we created December 25, in addition to the 6th established in the Roman Empire, when we celebrated the winter solstice,” she added.
The 25th was therefore set to align with the winter solstice, which falls on December 21, the day when the night is longest. This decision is explained on the one hand by the fact that “at that time, there were very important pagan festivals, so we wanted to compete”, and on the other hand, because “the context lends itself to it, it is the festival of light as we understand Jesus Christ,” continued Mme Lefebvre.
The feast of Saint-Nicolas, the ancestor of Santa Claus, is also important. This religious celebration of December 6 is still popular in certain countries, such as Belgium or Germany, which continue to celebrate it.
Other religions
Although Christmas is originally a Christian religious holiday, many people today celebrate a cultural Christmas, even if they are affiliated with another religion or no religion.
The Muslim diaspora is the second largest in terms of population in Quebec. However, Muslims, who rely on a lunar calendar, do not celebrate Christmas, because they do not consider Jesus Christ to be the son of God. However, they have other important holidays.
Jews, who represent the third largest religious diaspora and who follow the Hebrew calendar, celebrate Hanukkah. “Chanukah is not that important for Jews, but since it is close to Christmas, it becomes more important,” especially for gifts,” detailed M.me Lefebvre.
The Hanukkah period lasts eight days and its dates vary. On this occasion, Jews exchange gifts and pray, among other things.
Commercial side and decline of religion
Even if the Christian Christmas celebrated in the West is marked by consumerism, the religious side is always present, according to the professor.
“Religious practice has been in steady decline for several years, but it is continuing,” she added.
Thus, many continue to celebrate Christmas without going to mass; the manifestation of faith is different today, as is the message of the Church, which has made the obligation of practice less important, continued the expert.
However, practices in a broad sense (culinary and musical in particular) are still active according to her.
“Commercial is very present, but religion is always there in other less practical dimensions, such as love, giving, light, life and hope,” said M.me Lefebvre.
One of the most enduring legacies of religion during the holiday season is the tradition of giving, which continues even in secular circles. We often find, as Christmas approaches, practices of monetary donations to associations, the media food drive, or even the exchange of traditional gifts, from which arises “hyperconsumerism, but with roots and a deep meanings,” added Solange Lefebvre.
New Year
The New Year is universal, but is also celebrated on different dates, always according to the different calendars.
If the Gregorian calendar considers 1er January as the start of the year, it is not the same for calendars used by Asian communities, for example.
Chinese New Year, or Lunar New Year, also marks the start of the year. However, it starts at the same time as the lunar calendar, on which the Chinese base themselves. Thus, in 2024, the new year will begin on February 10 in China, just like in Vietnam.
Religious diaspora in Quebec in 2021 according to the Statistics Canada Census, for 8,308,475 inhabitants in Quebec:
- Christians (63% – 5,385,235)
- Catholics (53.8% – 4,472,560)
- Orthodox Christians (5.51% – 145,805)
- Muslims (5.07% – 421,710)
- Jews (1.01% – 84,535)
- Buddhists (0.58% – 48,370)
- Hindus (0.57% – 47,390)
- Jehovah’s Witnesses (0.33% – 27,970)
- Sikhs (0.28% – 23,345)