Feast of the Holy Innocents

E65001

Christian feast liturgical celebration religious commemoration

The Feast of the Holy Innocents is a Christian liturgical celebration commemorating the infant boys killed by King Herod in Bethlehem, observed within the Christmas season.

Aliases (3)

Statements (48)

Predicate	Object
instanceOf	Christian feast → liturgical celebration → religious commemoration →
alsoKnownAs	Childermas → Holy Innocents’ Day → Innocents’ Day →
associatedWith	Bethlehem → King Herod the Great → flight into Egypt →
celebratedOn	27 December (some Eastern traditions) → 28 December → 29 December (some Eastern traditions) →
commemorates	Massacre of the Innocents → infant boys killed by King Herod in Bethlehem →
follows	Feast of Saint Stephen →
hasBiblicalBasisIn	Gospel of Matthew →
hasBiblicalPassage	Matthew 2:16–18 →
hasLiturgicalRank	Double of the Second Class (traditional Roman Rite) → Feast (Roman Rite, ordinary form) →
hasPatronageOver	children → unborn children → victims of violence →
hasTheme	innocent suffering → martyrdom → protection of children →
historicallyAssociatedWith	medieval boy bishop customs → medieval liturgical drama →
honors	children killed by King Herod → infant martyrs of Bethlehem →
involves	Liturgy of the Hours → Mass → scripture readings about the Innocents → special prayers for children →
languageVariant	“Festum Sanctorum Innocentium” (Latin) → “Fête des Saints Innocents” (French) → “Heilige Unschuldige Kinder” (German) → “Santos Inocentes” (Spanish) →
linkedTo	Christmas → Nativity of Jesus →
liturgicalColor	red →
observedBy	Anglican Communion → Eastern Orthodox Church → Lutheran churches → Roman Catholic Church → other Protestant churches →
partOf	Christmas season → Christmastide →
precedes	Feast of Saint Thomas Becket →

Referenced by (4)

Subject (surface form when different)	Predicate
Feast of the Holy Innocents ("Holy Innocents’ Day") →	alsoKnownAs
Feast of the Holy Innocents ("Feast of Saint Stephen") →	follows
Christmastide →	hasMajorFeast
Feast of the Holy Innocents ("“Fête des Saints Innocents” (French)") →	languageVariant