TAKE PART IN MIDNIGHT MASS

It’s tricky to fall asleep knowing Father Christmas is on his way, but those gathering in churches at midnight on Christmas Eve are awake for a rather different reason. The Roman Catholic service of midnight mass is actually undertaken by myriad Christian denominations, including Anglican, Methodist and Lutheran. Churches the nation over will be filled with the echo of hymns as congregations gather to celebrate the coming of Christ in a vigil with origins stretching back centuries.

Beginning in Jerusalem in 40O AD, the tradition reached the western world shortly after, but It wasn’t until the 12th century that it became widely celebrated in the UK. Now it plays a key role in the church’s festive calendar, bringing people together year after year.