Lutheran Church Year
Dates of "1. Weihnachtstag" (Christmas Day)

Christmas or Christmas Day is a holiday held on December 25 to commemorate the birth of Jesus, the central figure of Christianity. The date is not known to be the actual birth date of Jesus, and may have initially been chosen to correspond with either the day exactly nine months after some early Christians believed Jesus had been conceived, the date of the winter solstice on the ancient Roman calendar, or one of various ancient winter festivals. Christmas is central to the Christmas and holiday season, and in Christianity marks the beginning of the larger season of Christmastide, which lasts 12 days.

Readings: Epistle: Titus 2: 11-14 / Isaiah 9: 2-7; Gospel: Luke 2: 1-14

Musical Context of Bach Cantatas: Motets & Chorales for Christmas

Dates in the Lifetime of J.S. Bach

All dates are in ISO 8601 format: YYYY-MM-DD.
Abbreviations of German weekdays: Sonntag, Montag, Dienstag, Mittwoch, Donnerstag, Freitag, Samstag.

1685-12-25 Di
1686-12-25 Mi
1687-12-25 Do
1688-12-25 Sa
1689-12-25 So
1690-12-25 Mo
1691-12-25 Di
1692-12-25 Do
1693-12-25 Fr
1694-12-25 Sa
1695-12-25 So
1696-12-25 Di
1697-12-25 Mi
1698-12-25 Do
1699-12-25 Fr
1700-12-25 Sa
1701-12-25 So
1702-12-25 Mo
1703-12-25 Di
1704-12-25 Do
1705-12-25 Fr
1706-12-25 Sa
1707-12-25 So
1708-12-25 Di
1709-12-25 Mi
1710-12-25 Do
1711-12-25 Fr
1712-12-25 So
1713-12-25 Mo
1714-12-25 Di - Cantata BWV 63 Christen, ätzet diesen Tag (1^st performance, Weimar)
1715-12-25 Mi
1716-12-25 Fr
1717-12-25 Sa
1718-12-25 So
1719-12-25 Mo
1720-12-25 Mi
1721-12-25 Do
1722-12-25 Fr
1723-12-25 Sa - Cantata BWV 63 Christen, ätzet diesen Tag (2^nd performance, Leipzig) + Magnificat in E flat major BWV 243a (1^st performance, Leipzig)
1724-12-25 Mo - Cantata BWV 91 Gelobet seist du, Jesu Christ (1^st performance, Leipzig, earlier version)
1725-12-25 Di - Cantata BWV 110 Unser Mund sei voll Lachens (1^st performance, Leipzig)
1726-12-25 Mi
1727-12-25 Do
1728-12-25 Sa - Cantata BWV 197a Ehre sei Gott in der Höhe (1^st performance, Leipzig) (? or the following year)
1729-12-25 So - Cantata BWV 63 Christen, ätzet diesen Tag (3^rd performance, Leipzig) (?)
1730-12-25 Mo
1731-12-25 Di - Cantata BWV 91 Gelobet seist du, Jesu Christ (2^nd performance, Leipzig, earlier version; or 1732)
1732-12-25 Do - Cantata BWV 91 Gelobet seist du, Jesu Christ (2^nd performance, Leipzig, earlier version; or 1731)
1733-12-25 Fr - Cantata BWV 91 Gelobet seist du, Jesu Christ (3^rd performance, Leipzig, later version)
1734-12-25 Sa - Weihnachts-Oratorium BWV 248/1 Jauchzet, frohlocket, auf, preiset die Tage (1^st performance, Leipzig)
1735-12-25 So
1736-12-25 Di
1737-12-25 Mi
1738-12-25 Do
1739-12-25 Fr
1740-12-25 So
1741-12-25 Mo
1742-12-25 Di
1743-12-25 Mi
1744-12-25 Fr
1745-12-25 Sa
1746-12-25 So - Cantata BWV 91 Gelobet seist du, Jesu Christ (5^th performance, Leipzig, later version; or 1747)
1747-12-25 Mo - Cantata BWV 91 Gelobet seist du, Jesu Christ (5^th performance, Leipzig, later version; or 1746)
1748-12-25 Mi
1749-12-25 Do
1750-12-25 Fr

Vocal works with no definite date

(1728-1731) - Cantata BWV 110 Unser Mund sei voll Lachens (2^nd performance, Leipzig)
(1732-1735) - Magnificat in D major BWV 243 (2^nd performance, Leipzig)
(1736-1737) - Cantata BWV 197a Ehre sei Gott in der Höhe (2^nd performance, Leipzig)
(After 1740) - Cantata BWV 91 Gelobet seist du, Jesu Christ (4^th performance, Leipzig, earlier version)
(1743-1746) - Cantata BWV 191 Gloria in excelsis Deo (1^st performance, Leipzig)
(?) - J. Kuhnau: Cantata BWV 142 Uns ist ein Kind Geoboren (not known if performed by J.S. Bach)
(?) - G.M. Hoffmann: Little Magnificat in A minor BWV Anh 21 (?,not known if performed by J.S. Bach)

Sundays and Holidays in the Lifetime of J.S. Bach

Prepared by Dr. Georg Fischer (April 2007), Aryeh Oron (March 2010 - September 2010)
Contributed by Dr. Georg Fischer (March 2010); David Glenn Lebut Jr. (June 2010)
Please direct any questions or comments to: Dr. Georg Fischer