Year-end celebrations in Quebec: who celebrates when and how?

As a resident of a Western country, when we talk about year-end holidays, it is natural to think of Christmas on December 25 and New Year on December 1.^any January. However, many cultural and religious communities celebrate on different dates, or even celebrate other holidays.

There are two factors to consider to understand who celebrates what and how at the end of the year according to Solange Lefebvre, professor at the Institute of Religious Studies at the University of Montreal, and holder of the Chair in Cultural and Religious Diversity: Calendar Use and Religion.

Christmas has four main dates

Christian Christmas as we know it in Quebec is not celebrated for everyone on December 25, mainly due to the different calendars used by different Christian denominations.

Catholic Christians, who rely on the Gregorian calendar and represent the majority, celebrate Christmas on December 25. Orthodox Christians celebrate January 7th, as in Russia, for example, or in Ukraine. They use the Julian calendar, which differs from the Gregorian calendar by 13 days.

The most famous is the Gregorian calendar, which is a solar calendar that sets the length of the year at 365.42 days. The Julian calendar is also a solar calendar, and was in effect until it was replaced by the Gregorian calendar in the majority of countries around the world.

M explained.^I Lefebvre.

Therefore, the two sects celebrate the same thing on the same date, but do not rely on the same calendar.

The professor pointed out that the religious event that follows Christmas is Epiphany, celebrating the emergence of Christ's divinity.

Epiphany is usually celebrated on January 6 for those who celebrate Christmas on December 25, and January 19 for those who celebrate Christmas on January 7.

“At the beginning of the church, we mainly celebrated January 6th. She added: “Then we established December 25, in addition to the sixth day approved in the Roman Empire, where we celebrated the winter solstice.”

The 25th was therefore set to coincide with the winter solstice, which falls on December 21, the day when the nights are longest. He explains this decision on the one hand because “at that time, there were very important pagan festivals, so we wanted to compete,” and on the other hand, because “the context lends itself to that, it is the festival.” Of the light as we understand Jesus Christ,” continued M^I Lefebvre.

The feast of Saint Nicholas, Santa Claus' grandfather, is also important. This religious celebration on December 6 is still very popular in some countries, such as Belgium or Germany, that still celebrate it.

Other religions

Although Christmas is originally a Christian religious holiday, many people today celebrate a cultural Christmas, even if they belong to another religion or none.

The Muslim diaspora is the second most populous community in Quebec. However, Muslims who rely on the lunar calendar do not celebrate Christmas, because they do not consider Jesus Christ to be the son of God. However, they have other important holidays.

Jews, who represent the third largest religious diaspora and follow the Hebrew calendar, celebrate Hanukkah. “Hanukkah is not very important for Jews, but because it is close to Christmas, it becomes more important,” especially for gifts,” explained M.^I Lefebvre.

Hanukkah lasts eight days and its dates vary. On this occasion, Jews exchange gifts and pray, among other things.

The commercial aspect and the decline of religion

Even if the Christian Christmas celebrated in the West is characterized by consumerism, the religious aspect is always present, according to the professor.

She added: “Religious practice has been declining steadily for several years, but it continues.”

Thus, many continue to celebrate Christmas without going to Mass; Showing faith is different today, as is the mission of the church, which has made commitment to practice less important, the expert continued.

However, practices in the broad sense (cooking and music in particular) are still active according to them.

M says^I Lefebvre.

One of the most enduring religious legacies during the holiday season is the tradition of giving, which continues even in secular circles. Solange Lefebvre added that, as Christmas approaches, we often find practices of monetary donation to associations, a food media campaign, or even the traditional exchange of gifts, which give rise to “excessive consumption, but which has deep roots and meanings.”

The new year

New Year is universal, but it is also celebrated on different dates, always according to different calendars.

If the Gregorian calendar is considered 1^any January, as the beginning of the year, is not the same for the calendars used by Asian societies, for example.

Chinese New Year, or Lunar New Year, also marks the beginning of the year. However, it begins at the same time as the lunar calendar, which the Chinese themselves rely on. Thus, in 2024, the new year will start on February 10 in China, just like in Vietnam.

The religious diaspora in Quebec in 2021 according to Census Canada of 8,308,475 people in Quebec:

• Christians (63% – 5,385,235)
• Catholics (53.8% – 4,472,560)
• Orthodox Christians (5.51% – 145,805)
• Muslims (5.07% – 421,710)
• Jews (1.01% – 84,535)
• Buddhists (0.58% – 48,370)
• Hindus (0.57% – 47,390)
• Jehovah's Witnesses (0.33% – 27,970)
• Sikhs (0.28% – 23,345)