Vigil Masses?

[East_and_West]

Was it once more common for Catholics to attend the Christmas and Easter Vigil mass than it was for them to actually go on Christmas and Easter day?

 

[Phemie]

Was it once more common for Catholics to attend the Christmas and Easter Vigil mass than it was for them to actually go on Christmas and Easter day?

While growing up in the 50s and 60s, there was no Christmas Vigil celebrated. Those who went to Midnight Mass (and in my parish that meant you also attended Mass at Dawn since they were celebrated back to back without a pause) usually didn’t return to the Mass during the Day. The Day Mass was attended by families with children too young to go to Midnight Mass and often by elderly people but it was always very well attended. These are the people we now see at the anticipated Midnight Mass or the Christmas Vigil (depending on which the parish celebrates on the evening of Christmas Eve).