Where did this tradition come about?

History and theory of Midnight Mass In Churches

It is believed the tradition started in the Western World from about 430AD under Pope Sixtus III in the Basilica of St Mary Major. Midnight mass became widely popular by the twelfth century. There are also services generally held at dawn, and during Christmas Day.

The most popular Christmas Mass for Roman Catholics is the Midnight Mass, a tradition that began in the early 400s. Midnight mass is traditionally held at midnight, as Christmas Eve becomes Christmas Day, because it believed that Jesus was born at midnight.

So in celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ according to Christian believers, as we leave Christmas Eve entering Christmas Day, where Catholic Christians celebrate the birth and welcome of Jesus Christ into the world and the hearts of men.

What happens at midnight mass?

A typical midnight Mass is 90 minutes - 2 hours. Christmas morning Masses usually don't have as much pageantry, and are comparable to ordinary Sunday Masses (usually lasting more than an hour, but less than 90 minutes).

The practice of celebrating Midnight Mass is traditional in the Roman Catholic Church, although many churches now hold their "midnight" Mass at an earlier hour. Since 2009, the Pope has celebrated this Mass at 10:00 pm,[2] and as a result the official liturgical designation of these texts has been Mass during the Night since 2009. However, when the Mass does occur at midnight, it is still commonly called "Midnight Mass".

In Splendoribus Sanctorum is used for the Communion chant during traditional Catholic midnight mass.

Can children attend Midnight Mass on Christmas Eve?

Some children go to bed very tired but really uncharacteristically early on Christmas Eve, but this begs the question, can kids attend the Midnight Mass?

This instance is wrong, kids can't stay up that late, plus, Santa Claus comes at midnight, there's a junior version of the Midnight Mass available for children. This takes place at 7pm, The Christingle service works better for kids, as it is more family friendly.

What does Christingle mean?

The celebration is named after the Christingles that are lit during the celebration. Christingles are made from an orange decorated with red tape, sweets and a candle. They have been part of our history for the last 50 years. We ask those who celebrate Christingle to hold a collection to support children and young people in the darkest situations imaginable.

It’s easy to organise a Christingle wherever you want, they’re an atmospheric and joyful occasion that people remember for years. Christingles are usually held from the start of December to Christmas (Advent to Candlemas), with Christmas Eve a particularly popular time for services.