** Sundays and Feast Days: the Great Doxology is chanted, followed by the apolytikion, the two litanies and the Dismissal

** Sundays and Feast Days: the Great Doxology is chanted, followed by the apolytikion, the two litanies and the Dismissal

The apolytikion for the Feast of the Annunciation ( March 25 ):

The apolytikion of Pascha ( Easter ):

The Eastern Orthodox Church and Eastern Catholic Churches celebrate the feast day of the " Holy Righteous Prophet and King David " on the Sunday of the Holy Forefathers ( two Sundays before the Great Feast of the Nativity of the Lord ), when he is commemorated together with other ancestors of Jesus.

The Church celebrates the Feast of the Immaculate Conception ( when Mary was conceived free from original sin ) on 8 December, exactly nine months before celebrating the Nativity of Mary.

His feast day is celebrated on the Sunday of the Holy Forefathers ( two Sundays before the Great Feast of the Nativity of the Lord ).

The Nativity Fast ( Winter Lent ) is a time of preparation for the Feast of the Nativity of Christ ( Christmas ), but whereas Advent in the West lasts only four weeks, Nativity Fast lasts a full forty days.

In the Christian liturgical calendar there are two principal feasts, properly known as the Feast of the Nativity of our Lord ( Christmas ) and the Feast of the Resurrection, ( Easter ).

The celebrations began a full week prior to the religious observance and the drunken revelers were expectantly sobered and orgies exhausted by the festivals close, prompting the eve or vigil of the 24th / 25th as an optimally moral and safe time for the Feast of Christ's Nativity ).

In the evening, the All-Night Vigil for the Feast of the Nativity is composed of Great Compline, Matins and the First Hour.

In the Roman rite, the hymn is sung in the Divine Office on June 24, the Feast of the Nativity of John the Baptist.

These were at the Feast of the Conception of Virgin Mary ( 8 December ), St Peter in Cathedra ( 22 February ) and the Nativity of the Virgin Mary ( 8 September ).

The strongest collection is the Italian Renaissance collection, which includes two panels from Duccio's Maesta, the great tondo of the Adoration of the Magi by Fra Angelico and Filippo Lippi, a Botticelli on the same subject, Giorgione's Allendale Nativity, Giovanni Bellini's The Feast of the Gods, the only Leonardo da Vinci painting in the Americas, Ginevra de ' Benci ; and significant groups of works by Titian and Raphael.

The market was to be held on Wednesdays and the fairs on the eve, day and morrow of the Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin ( 8 September ) and on the eve, day and morrow of St George's day ( 23 April ).

He was a teacher at the Cathedral school there, he was responsible for the advancement of the celebration of the Feast day of “ Nativity of the Virgin ”, and he was responsible for one of the many reconstructions of the Cathedral.

Fulbert ’ s most famous sermon is “ Approbate Consuetudinis ” in which he provides the information in regards to the importance of the celebration of the “ Feast of Mary ’ s Nativity ”.

By promoting the Feast day of Mary ’ s Nativity, Fulbert was able to advance the importance of Mary and therefore the cult of her worship grew.

It is in this Cathedral that we see Fulbert ’ s influences that resulted from his promotion of the Feast day of Mary ’ s Nativity and the cult of the Virgin Mary.

Inside one of the stained glass windows depicts the Tree of Jesse, which traces Mary ’ s and Christ ’ s family, again a reference to Fulbert ’ s teachings in regards to the Feast of Mary ’ s Nativity.

This takes place on the Sunday after the Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary-the church's dedication.

In Eastern Christianity ( the Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox and Eastern Catholic churches ), the Great Feast of Theophany ( Epiphany ) on 6 January is considered a higher-ranked feast than the Nativity ( Christmas ), and commemorates the Baptism of Jesus rather than the arrival of the Wise Men.

In the Eastern Orthodox Church, The Great Feast of the Nativity of our Lord begins on the Eve of 25 December ( for those Orthodox churches which follow the Julian calendar, 25 December falls on 7 January of the modern Gregorian Calendar ).

The Orthodox Church commemorates the Adoration of the Magi on the Feast of the Nativity ( December 25 ).

During the Eastern Roman Empire ( Byzantine Empire ) the emperor used to be permitted to offer incense on the Feast of the Nativity ( no doubt as a memorial of the gifts of the Magi ), but was permitted to perform no other priestly function.

The annual market at Wentford, a noted regional event held on the Feast of Nativity of the Virgin Mary ( September 8 ) disappeared.

The Feast of the Immaculate Conception is observed on December 8 in many Catholic countries as a Holy Day of Obligation and in some places as a national or public holiday.

Beginning in the 16th century, European countries began officially making January 1 the start of the New Year once again — sometimes called Circumcision Style because this was the date of the Feast of the Circumcision, being the seventh day after December 25.

In ecclesiastical affairs, Sixtus IV instituted 8 December as the Feast of the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary.

** December 21 ( Feast of St Thomas the Apostle ) – They discover Isla Santo Tomé, probably Socorro Island.

Christmastide follows, beginning with First Vespers of Christmas on the evening of 24 December and ending with the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord.

* The Feast of Saint Nicholas, the Bishop of Myra in Lycia ( December 6 )

* The Feast of the Conception of Mary by Saints Joachim and Anne ( December 9 )

* The Feast of Saint Spiridon ( December 12 )

* The Feast of Saint Stephen the Deacon ( December 27 )

On December 9, 1812 ( the " Feast Day of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin "), a series of massive earthquakes shook Southern California.

Tragedy struck the settlement when on the morning of December 8, 1812, the " Feast Day of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin ", a series of large earthquakes shook Southern California during the first Sunday service.

It was established on December 8, 1787 ( the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, hence the mission's name ) by the Franciscan order.

Two accounts, published in the 1640s, one in Spanish, one in Nahuatl, tell how, while walking from his village to Mexico City in the early morning of December 9, 1531 ( then the Feast of the Immaculate Conception in the Spanish Empire ), the peasant Juan Diego saw on the slopes of the Hill of Tepeyac a vision of a girl of fifteen or sixteen years of age, surrounded by light.

* Julia of Mérida, Feast Day December 10

Considering that Christ was conceived on that date, 25 March was recognized as the Feast of the Annunciation which had to be followed, nine months later, by the celebration of the birth of Christ, Christmas, on 25 December.

The March 25 date was known as Annunciation Style ; the January 1 date was known as Circumcision Style, because this was the date of the Feast of the Circumcision, considered to be the eighth day of Christ's life, counting from December 25 when his birth is celebrated.

" The scene was unveiled on December 24 and remained in place until February 2, 2008 for The Feast of the Presentation of the Lord.

Torres was born on 28 December 1852, on the Feast of the Holy Innocents, in Santa Cruz de Iguña, Besaya Valley ( Cantabria ), Spain.

The Ember-Days at the Four Seasons, being the Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday after the First Sunday in Lent, the Feast of Pentecost, September 14, and December 13.

St. Stephen's Day, or the Feast of St. Stephen, is a Christian saint's day celebrated on 26 December in the Western Church and 27 December in the Eastern Church.

On 8 December 1933, she was canonized as a saint by Pope Pius XI in the Catholic Church ; while her Feast Day is observed on April 16.

Feast day: December 7

* 8 December: the Feast of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary