The Feast of the Circumcision of Our Lord is a feast day formerly celebrated by the Roman Catholic Church on 1 January as a holy day of obligation (a day on which Catholics must attend Mass). It was a feast celebrating not only Christ consenting to submit to Jewish Law, but also the first time that Christ spilled his blood for humankind. Topics in Christianity Movements · Denominations Ecumenism · Preaching · Prayer Music · Liturgy · Calendar Symbols · Art · Criticism Important figures Apostle Paul · Church Fathers Constantine · Athanasius · Augustine Anselm · Aquinas · Palamas · Wycliffe Tyndale · Luther · Calvin · Wesley Arius · Marcion of Sinope Pope · Archbishop of Canterbury Patriarch of Constantinople Christianity Portal This box:      The Roman Catholic Church... January 1 is the first day of the calendar year in both the Julian and Gregorian calendars. ... In the Roman Catholic Church, the Holy Days of Obligation are the days, other than Sundays, on which the faithful are required to attend Mass. ... Christ is the English of the Greek word (Christós), which literally means The Anointed One. ... Halakha (הלכה in Hebrew or Halakhah, Halacha, Halachah) is the collective corpus of Jewish law, custom and tradition regulating all aspects of behavior. ...

Traditional Catholics still celebrate this feast under this name, but most Catholics now, with the revisions of the Mass that followed the Second Vatican Council, celebrate January 1 as the Solemnity of St Mary, the Mother of God, although no longer as holy day of obligation. However, the day is actually both of these feasts along with the Octave Day of Christmas, its name in the 1962 Missal, and the liturgy includes elements reflecting all three. Traditional Catholic is a broad term used to describe many groups of Roman Catholics who follow more traditional aspects of the Catholic Faith. ... The Second Ecumenical Council of the Vatican, or Vatican II, was an Ecumenical Council of the Roman Catholic Church opened under Pope John XXIII in 1962 and closed under Pope Paul VI in 1965. ... January 1 is the first day of the calendar year in both the Julian and Gregorian calendars. ... Our Lady redirects here. ...

The Church of England's Book of Common Prayer liturgy celebrates this day as the Circumcision of Christ. The modern Common Worship liturgy observes this day as a Festival called the Naming and Circumcision of Jesus. The Church of England is the officially established Christian church[1] in England, and acts as the mother and senior branch of the worldwide Anglican Communion, as well as a founding member of the Porvoo Communion. ... For the novel by Joan Didion, see A Book of Common Prayer. ... Common Worship is a series of books of services and prayers, known as a liturgy, published by the Church of England. ... Festivals are a type of observance in the Church of England, considered to be less significant than a Principal Feast or Principal Holy Day, but more significant than a Lesser Festival or Commemoration. ...

Eastern Orthodox Churches also celebrate this Feast on January 1 of either the Gregorian calendar or the Julian Calendar, depending on which style is used in a particular church. In Russia, the day of Old Style Circumcision (January 14 in XX and XXI centuries) is known as "The Old New Year", because before 1918 it was the New Year day. Eastern Orthodoxy (also called Greek Orthodoxy and Russian Orthodoxy) is a Christian tradition which represents the majority of Eastern Christianity. ... January 1 is the first day of the calendar year in both the Julian and Gregorian calendars. ... The Gregorian calendar is the most widely used calendar in the world. ... The Julian calendar was introduced in 46 BC by Julius Caesar and came into force in 45 BC (709 ab urbe condita). ... January 14 is the 14th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... The Old New Year (Russian: ) is a traditional Russian holiday celebrated as the start of the New Year by the Julian calendar. ... 1918 (MCMXVIII) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar (see link for calendar) or a common year starting on Wednesday of the Julian calendar. ... The New Year is an event that happens when a culture celebrates the end of one year and the beginning of the next year. ...

See also

• Holy prepuce
• Circumcision in the Bible

11th century Icon of Christ Pantocrator. ... Circumcision, when practiced as a rite, has its foundations in the Bible, in the Abrahamic covenant, such as Genesis 17, and is therefore practiced by Jews and Muslims and some Christians, those who constitute the Abrahamic religions. ...

External links

• An essay on the feast of the circumcision from Anglicans Online