Saints Adam & Eve – 24 December
By Catherine Sheehan
Many Catholics today would be unaware that it is an ancient tradition of the Church to celebrate the feast of Saints Adam & Eve on 24 December, Christmas Eve.
This beautiful and poignant tradition recalls to mind the Original Sin of our first parents, the day before we celebrate the birth of our Redeemer, who saved us from that sin.
It may surprise some that not only does Church teaching indicate that Adam and Eve were indeed real people, and not merely symbolic figures, but that they are also considered saints, despite the fact they caused the Fall of mankind.
The Catechism states, “Throughout the Old Covenant the mission of many holy women prepared for that of Mary. At the very beginning there was Eve; despite her disobedience, she receives the promise of a posterity that will be victorious over the evil one, as well as the promise that she will be the mother of all the living.” (489)
It also states: “The patriarchs, prophets and certain other Old Testament figures have been and always will be honored as saints in all the Church’s liturgical traditions.” (61)
In medieval times there was a tradition of staging ‘Paradise Plays’ on Christmas Eve which would depict the temptation and Fall of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. There were also ‘Paradise Trees’ that were decorated with apples. It is thought this tradition may have evolved into the Christmas Tree.
The idea behind these traditions is to remind ourselves of how much we need Christ as our Redeemer and Saviour. This in turn should increase our joy at Christmas when we celebrate His birth.
As the Exultet proclaims during the Easter Vigil, “O happy fault, O necessary sin of Adam, which gained for us so great a Redeemer!”
Just as one man and one woman were responsible for Original Sin entering the world, so too one man and one woman—Christ and Our Lady—were responsible for bringing about our redemption. Christ is the Redeemer, and as his Mother, Mary was instrumental in his mission.
They are the ‘New Adam’ and the ‘New Eve’. Where Adam and Eve were disobedient to God, Jesus and Mary were obedient in carrying out His plan of salvation.
Indeed, Adam and Eve’s battle with the serpent foreshadows the coming of the Messiah: “This passage in Genesis is called the Protoevangelium (“first gospel”): the first announcement of the Messiah and Redeemer, of a battle between the serpent and the Woman, and of the final victory of a descendant of hers.” (Catechism, 410)
What a wonderful thing to contemplate this great mystery of our Redemption on the eve of Christmas, increasing our joy and our awe as we adore that little Baby, the New Adam, and his mother, the new Eve, on Christmas morning.