The Nativity of Our Saviour Jesus Christ is when ‘God’s Word became flesh’, which is one of the basic tenets of the Christian faith. God is said to have become flesh to save the world, which had fallen with Adam, and to reconnect the Creator with those he had created. In Christianity, the birth of Christ has been celebrated widely since the seventh century. It is of such huge importance that the Orthodox Church prepares for it with a 40-day fast and Western Churches with the season of Advent, through the four Sundays leading up to Christmas. The celebration is based on the story of the birth of Jesus in the Gospel according to St Luke (Luke 2:1–20). In times past, Christmas celebrations in Finland used to last a full week, but nowadays it is celebrated over two days: Christmas Day and St Stephen’s Day (Tapaninpäivä in Finnish), or Boxing Day.
The Nativity of Christ is one of the 24 most important liturgical feasts of the Catholic Church.
