Octave of Christmas 2026: The Eight Days of Christmas

The Octave of Christmas is the eight days from Christmas Day, December 25, to the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God, on January 1, which the Church celebrates as one continuous feast of the Nativity. In 2026 it runs from Friday, December 25, 2026 to Friday, January 1, 2027. Every day of the octave the Gloria is sung at Mass and the Christmas preface is prayed, and on the first days the Church also keeps the feasts of the saints who stand closest to the manger: St. Stephen, St. John and the Holy Innocents. Below is the octave day by day, why it is kept, the difference from the twelve days of Christmas, customs and prayers for each day.

The Octave of Christmas 2026, day by day

Day of the octave	2026–2027 date	Celebration	Gospel at Mass
1st: Christmas	Friday, December 25	The Nativity of the Lord	John 1:1–18 (Mass during the Day)
2nd	Saturday, December 26	St. Stephen, first martyr	Matthew 10:17–22
3rd	Sunday, December 27	The Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph	Luke 2:22–40
4th	Monday, December 28	The Holy Innocents, martyrs	Matthew 2:13–18
5th	Tuesday, December 29	Fifth day (St. Thomas Becket may be remembered)	Luke 2:22–35
6th	Wednesday, December 30	Sixth day	Luke 2:36–40
7th	Thursday, December 31	Seventh day (St. Sylvester I may be remembered)	John 1:1–18
8th	Friday, January 1, 2027	Mary, Mother of God	Luke 2:16–21

Why St. John is missing in 2026: the Feast of the Holy Family is kept on the Sunday within the octave. In 2026 that Sunday is December 27, the usual feast day of St. John the Apostle, so his feast is not celebrated at Mass this year. In 2027 Christmas falls on a Saturday, the Holy Family is kept on Sunday, December 26, and St. Stephen yields instead. When Christmas is a Sunday, the Holy Family moves to December 30.

What is an octave?

An octave (from the Latin octava, “eighth”) is the custom of celebrating a great feast for eight days, as the Jewish feasts of Tabernacles and of the Passover lasted for a week, and as the circumcision of a child took place on the eighth day. Today the Roman calendar keeps only two octaves: Easter and Christmas. The Easter Octave is stronger: every day is a solemnity. In the Christmas octave the days have the rank of feasts or weekdays of the octave, but the whole week still sings of the birth of Christ.

The companions of Christ: December 26, 27 and 28

The three feasts right after Christmas were called in the Middle Ages the comites Christi, the “companions of Christ,” because they show three kinds of witness to the newborn King:

St. Stephen (December 26), a martyr in will and in deed: he chose to die for Christ, and did. On the day after the birth of Christ on earth the Church celebrates the birth of his first martyr into heaven. See the prayer to St. Stephen.
St. John the Apostle (December 27), a martyr in will but not in deed: he was ready to die for Christ but died in old age. He is the disciple who wrote “the Word was made flesh.”
The Holy Innocents (December 28), martyrs in deed but not in will: the baby boys of Bethlehem killed by Herod, who died for Christ before they could choose him. See the Feast of the Holy Innocents.

The last days of the octave

December 29: St. Thomas Becket, the Archbishop of Canterbury killed in his cathedral in 1170 for defending the freedom of the Church. See St. Thomas Becket.
December 30: the Gospel tells of the old prophetess Anna, who saw the Child in the Temple and “spoke of him to all that looked for the redemption of Israel.”
December 31: St. Sylvester I, the pope who saw the end of the persecutions under Constantine. On the last evening of the year Catholics traditionally sing the Te Deum in thanksgiving; a plenary indulgence is granted, on the usual conditions, to those who recite it publicly on that day. See Pope St. Sylvester.
January 1: Mary, Mother of God, the octave day, a holy day of obligation in the United States in most years. It is also the World Day of Peace, and the day to sing the Veni Creator Spiritus at the start of the new year. See the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God.

The octave and the twelve days of Christmas

The octave is the eight days from December 25 to January 1. The twelve days of Christmas are the older popular count from Christmas Day to January 5, the eve of the Epiphany, which is the “Twelfth Night.” The Christmas season in the liturgy is longer still: it lasts until the Baptism of the Lord. In 2027:

Epiphany: Sunday, January 3, 2027 in the United States and many other countries (Wednesday, January 6 where it is kept on its traditional date). See Epiphany.
Baptism of the Lord: Sunday, January 10, 2027, the last day of the Christmas season. See Baptism of the Lord.

So Christmas is not over on December 26. The crib, the tree and the carols belong to the whole season.

Praying through the octave

A simple way to keep the eight days at home: each evening, light the candles by the crib, read the Gospel of the day from the table above, and pray this prayer, written for this page:

Lord Jesus, born for us in Bethlehem,
on this day of your Christmas feast we kneel at your manger with Mary and Joseph.
Make our home a place where you are welcome,
make our hearts as humble as the shepherds,
and give us the courage of your first witnesses.
Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace. Amen.

On the days of the martyrs, add an intention:

December 26: for Christians persecuted for their faith today.
December 27: for families, and for the grace to love as St. John loved.
December 28: for unborn children, for children who suffer, and for parents who have lost a child.

The angels’ song of the first Christmas night (Luke 2:14, Douay-Rheims):

Glory to God in the highest; and on earth peace to men of good will.

Customs for the eight days

St. Stephen’s Day (December 26): in Ireland and Britain, “Boxing Day,” traditionally a day of gifts for the poor and for servants; in many countries a day for visiting family.
St. John’s wine (December 27): wine is blessed in honor of St. John, who according to legend drank poisoned wine unharmed, and families toast “Drink the love of St. John.”
Holy Innocents (December 28): in some homes the youngest child gets a special blessing or chooses the day’s meal; in the Spanish-speaking world it is a day for jokes, like April Fools’ Day.
New Year’s Eve: the Te Deum in thanksgiving for the year that is ending. See the Catholic New Year prayer.

Frequently asked questions

What are the eight days of Christmas?

The Octave of Christmas: December 25 to January 1. In 2026: Christmas (December 25), St. Stephen (December 26), the Holy Family (December 27), the Holy Innocents (December 28), the fifth, sixth and seventh days (December 29–31) and Mary, Mother of God (January 1, 2027).

Is every day of the Christmas octave a solemnity?

No. Unlike the Easter Octave, only Christmas Day and January 1 are solemnities. The other days are feasts or weekdays of the octave, but the Gloria is sung at every Mass.

Do Catholics abstain from meat on Fridays in the Christmas octave?

Not on solemnities. In 2026 both Fridays of the octave are solemnities, Christmas Day (December 25) and Mary, Mother of God (January 1, 2027), so the Friday abstinence does not apply on either day (Code of Canon Law, can. 1251).

Is January 1, 2027 a holy day of obligation?

In the United States, January 1 is a holy day of obligation except when it falls on a Saturday or a Monday. In 2027 it falls on a Friday, so the obligation applies.

When does the Christmas season end?

With the Baptism of the Lord: Sunday, January 10, 2027.

More Christmas pages

Texts and sources

General Norms for the Liturgical Year and the Calendar (1969), nos. 35 and 59; Roman Missal, Christmas octave.
Gospel citations: Lectionary for Mass (weekday and Sunday cycles), Year B for the Holy Family in 2026.
Code of Canon Law, can. 1246 and 1251; USCCB complementary norms on holy days of obligation.
Luke 2:14: Douay-Rheims Bible (Challoner revision), public domain.
Octave prayer written for biddingprayers.com by seminarian Giuseppe.