It is no coincidence that at the end of the year, with the winter solstice being the longest night, traditions carry with ...

Receiving a chalk blessing at the doorway or decorating wooden boats instead of Christmas trees may seem unfamiliar to many outside the region. Yet across Eastern and Central Europe, Christmas is ...

A stark, spray-painted picture of Mary and the baby Jesus stands out amid declamatory Palestinian protest graffiti on the two-decades-old concrete separation wall in Bethlehem, the city where Christ ...

In December 1965 “A Charlie Brown Christmas” was aired. In this story Charlie Brown was sent to get the biggest and most beautiful tree but instead he chose the smallest and most misshapen tree on the ...

The rose color is symbolic of the Latin word gaudete, which means to “rejoice.” When we go caroling at assisted living or in ...

Kastina-Ala, 18 December, 2025 / 6:35 pm (ACI Africa). The Catholic Bishop of Katsina-Ala Diocese in Nigeria has reflected on the continued killings in Benue State that is served by his Episcopal See, ...

We see Advent calendars in most shops around Christmas time, but where did they originate from? Image: Pexels.com/Torsten Dettlaff. Long before Christmas Day, many ...

JOHNSTOWN — As Christians around the world observe Advent, the wreath serves as a symbol of Jesus’ impending birth. The Advent season is a sacred period of anticipation and spiritual preparation for ...

The first reflection is given by Fr Issa Thaljieh, a Greek Orthodox priest based at the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem. The Bishops of England and Wales have produced series of brief daily ...

CHATHAM – On the first night of Hanukkah, the borough welcomed Rabbi Shalom Lubin from the Chabad of Southeast Morris County to celebrate the beginning of the Jewish holiday by lighting the shamash ...

The third Sunday of Advent, known as Gaudete Sunday, is a time to pause and rejoice. Joy is different from happiness and can ...