Christmas has turned out to be one of the main religious festivals celebrated in Canada. From the beginning of New
France up till the end of the XIXth century, Amerindians, Francophones and a large number of Anglophones went to
church to celebrate the Nativity at Christmas.
The three masses, the procession of the Christ Child and the visit to the crèche were essential elements of the traditions
surrounding this great celebration.
In France, although Easter remained the major religious festival, the festivities connected with Christmas grew, as the many carols, and church or family crèches demonstrate.