Do you wish people a »merry Christmas«, »blessed Christmas« or simply »happy holidays«? The change in language use reflects the fact that the origins of Christmas – the Christian notion of Jesus Christ's birth as being the original gift-giving scene – are often no longer the focus of festivities. But for many Saxons, attending a church service is part of the Christmas ritual.
Hundreds of thousands of people are once again expected to attend over 2000 vespers and masses on 24 December (Christmas Eve) in the Church of Saxony communities (the state's largest Church) alone. While children can amuse themselves with nativity scenes as they wait for the gift-giving, music lovers will particularly enjoy the late services and 26 December.
Never are there more Protestant church services than between 24 and 26 December. Vespers, Christmas night, matins, family service and festival service all have different formats, but are always open to anyone.
Gospelnight Dresden on 24 December invites you to the Christuskirche in Dresden-Stehlen. It will be a holy night, but definitely not a silent one! Entry is free – with the collection going towards Gospelnight Dresden and a social project.
You can find both Protestant and Catholic church services here. The Christmas vespers outside Dresden's Frauenkirche is one of Germany's largest regular outdoor church services. Every year, it attracts tens of thousands of visitors from Germany and abroad as they prepare for Christmas the day before Christmas Eve.
