Christmas Eve and Day, as celebrated in both Orthodox Christianity and Rastafarian tradition, unfold in spiritually distinct yet deeply resonant ways—each offering a vision of the incarnation of divine presence, rooted in sacred time, cultural identity, and metaphysical truth. While the Western Christian world celebrates Christmas on 25 December, many Orthodox Churches, following the Julian calendar, observe it on 6 January (Eve) and 7 January (Day). The Rastafarian celebration of Christmas, though less widely known, carries its own unique mystical interpretation centred on the identity of Haile Selassie I as a manifestation of the divine.
In the Orthodox Christian tradition, Christmas is known as the Feast of the Nativity, a sacred unfolding of mystery rather than festivity. Christmas Eve begins with a strict fast, a period of spiritual preparation, silence, and purification, culminating in the Royal Hours and the Vesperal Divine Liturgy, often held at night and stretching into the early hours of Christmas morning. The liturgy is luminous, rich with ancient hymnody, scripture, and profound symbolism, recounting the birth of Christ in a cave—a place of humility and hidden glory.
Orthodox iconography and theology do not romanticise the nativity scene, but present it as a cosmic event: the descent of the Logos (divine Word) into matter, the illumination of darkness, and the joining of heaven and earth. The cave symbolises the interior of the human heart, the world in its fallen state, now pierced by divine light. The Virgin Mary is depicted in contemplative stillness, the angels in praise, and the magi and shepherds as representatives of all humanity drawn to the incarnate mystery.
Christmas Day in Orthodoxy is a celebration not of sentiment, but of transcendence made immanent. The Divine Liturgy reflects the fulfilment of prophecy and the beginning of redemption—not as a single event, but as an invitation to transformation. The faithful are reminded that, through the incarnation, the path is opened to theosis: the participation in divine life.
In Rastafarian spirituality, Christmas is celebrated less as a conventional festival and more as a time of meditation and reverence for the divine presence as embodied in Emperor Haile Selassie I of Ethiopia, who is regarded by many Rastafarians as the earthly incarnation of Jah (God). While some Rastafari do not observe Christmas in the Western or Orthodox sense, others honour it through reasoning sessions, the reading of scripture (especially the Psalms and Revelation), drumming, chanting, and communal gatherings.
Rastafarian celebration is not focused on a nativity in Bethlehem, but on the living revelation of divinity in black identity, resistance, and liberation. The spirit of Christmas in this context is tied to the recognition of divine kingship and the arrival of justice, truth, and freedom in human history. It is an act of remembrance and empowerment, turning away from consumerism toward the spiritual and social mission of I-and-I consciousness—unity with the divine within and among all people.
Both traditions, though differing in expression, centre around incarnation—the belief that divinity is not abstract or distant, but intimately present in the world. Whether through the Christ child born in humility or the recognition of Jah within history and humanity, Christmas in these paths is a celebration of hope, light, and transformation.
Ultimately, Christmas Eve and Day in Orthodox and Rastafarian traditions offer a shared insight: that divine presence enters time not with power, but with gentleness, and that to receive it is to open the heart to mystery, justice, and the sacredness woven into all things.
