Why Catholics should not eat meat during Christmas Eve

 

One of the traditional acts of Christmas is to abstain from meat on Christmas Eve, 24th December.  I could still remember the temptation from the aroma of the fried chicken from my Mama Lucy's kitchen when I was 7 years old. I asked her for a bite and she shouted “Agbedo" meaning never!!! “Why grandma?” I asked, she took me by hands to the Church manger and showed me the animals in the crib: “Yes, Olu, we cannot eat meat on Christmas Eve because the animals were the ones who kept Jesus company at his birth, so we must respect them today''. “Waoo!” I exclaimed, “So that's why I cannot eat meat today...”

I held unto this tradition until I entered Seminary only for us to eat plenty meat on the Christmas Eve. Then I asked: “Why are we not respecting the animals today?” And my brothers laughed at my ignorance. 

Why then should grandma stop me from eating meat?

According to Wikipedia, the Catholic Church historically observes the disciplines of fasting and abstinence at various times each year. For Catholics, fasting is the reduction of one's intake of food, while abstinence refers to refraining from meat (or another type of food). The Catholic Church teaches that all people are obliged by God to perform some penance for their sins, and that these acts of penance are both personal and corporeal. Bodily fasting is meaningless unless it is joined with a spiritual fast from sin. St. Basil gives the following exhortation regarding fasting:

"Let us fast an acceptable and very pleasing fast to the Lord. True fast is the estrangement from evil, temperance of tongue, abstinence from anger, separation from desires, slander, falsehood and perjury. Privation of these is true fasting."

 From the above it’s clear that in the Catholic Church, the day preceding a major holy day (or feast day) is called a vigil day (or eve). These were days of abstinence (refraining from eating meat), prayer, psalms, and anticipation of the holy day.

Since the Church deemed seafood a non-meat, seafood was commonly eaten on vigil days. The practice of having a big Christmas Eve feast arose in Southern Italy, where seven, eight, or nine fish dishes were specified for the Christmas Eve dinner. This dinner had no special name; it was called simply “La Vigilia” (the vigil).

This custom was spread to America by immigrants from Southern Italy. Different families ate seven, or nine, or eleven, or even thirteen dishes. It seems to have stabilized at seven, though, with the dinner christened “feast of the seven fishes”.

For most of the nations of Catholic culture like, Italy, Poland, the day before the Nativity is a day of reflection and fast. Only one fulfilling meal is allowed and without meat, some believe that it should be also without dairy products. But this one no-meat meal became in Poland a celebrated Christmas Eve Supper. 

Eastern Christians view fasting as one part of repentance and supporting a spiritual change of heart. Eastern Christians observe two major times of fasting, the "Great Fast" before Easter, and "Phillip's Fast" before the Nativity.

The fast period before Christmas is called "Philip's Fast" because it begins after the feast day of St. Philip. Specific practices vary, but on some days during the week meat, dairy products and (in some countries) oil are avoided, while on other days there is no restriction. During approximately the last week before the Nativity, typically meat, dairy, eggs and oil are avoided on all days, meals are moderate in quantity, and no food is taken between meals. So traditionally,  advent is to Christmas what lent is to Easter. 

However, The Contemporary legislation is rooted in the 1966 Apostolic Constitution of Pope Paul VI, Paenitemini. He recommended that fasting be appropriate to the local economic situation and that all Catholics voluntarily fast and abstain. He also allowed that fasting and abstinence might be substituted with prayer and works of charity, although the norms for doing so were to be set down by the Episcopal Conferences.

For this reason the abstinence from meat on Christmas Eve is relaxed and made optional for those who want to practice it but for me, I still respect the animals who accompanied Jesus by not eating them on Christmas Eve, this simple spirituality takes me to the manger every year with a feeling of love and a prayer that I also want to accompany Jesus in the manger of my heart.  While everyone is busy celebrating with loud noise, I want to contemplate on the mystery of his birth.

Christmas mean different things to different people.  To some people it is the time of merry making, to others it is the time to buy new clothes, new shoes, new necklace e.t.c.; to some it is time to eat and drink and get drunk, while to some people, it is time to embrace Christ who has come to us in the form of man.  At Christmas many are so busy with material preparations, parties, shopping, gift-giving that they practically forget whose birthday we are about to observe.

There is always more for the one who has eyes to see and ears to hear.  The meaning and message of Christmas is a complex mystery of profound and immense importance let us not Merry and forget the spirituality of Christmas. 

Fr Lawrence Ogundipe SDV 

Sources 

Ancient Christian traditions:  a reflection of Rev Fr Adeyemi Peter on the Christmas eve of 1993

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fasting_and_abstinence_in_the_Catholic_Church

https://www.quora.com/What-is-the-reason-why-Italians-eat-no-meat-during-Christmas-Eve