Christmas Novena: The Traditional Prayer, December 16-24

The Christmas novena is the prayer of the nine days before the Nativity, from 16 to 24 December, ending on Christmas Eve. Its classic form is the novena first sung at Turin in 1720, which opens each evening with the refrain Regem venturum Dominum, venite adoremus, "Come, let us adore the King, the Lord who is to come," and takes up day by day the great O Antiphons of the Breviary. Below is the complete text in Latin and English, how to pray it at church or at home, its history, and how it differs from the St Andrew Christmas novena that begins on 30 November.

When does the Christmas novena start?

The Christmas novena begins on 16 December and ends on 24 December, Christmas Eve: the nine days immediately before the feast. The dates never change, whatever the day of the week. In 2026 the novena opens on Wednesday 16 December, which is also the Ember Wednesday of Advent; the Ember Friday (18) and Ember Saturday (19) follow, days of fasting and prayer in the traditional calendar, so the first days of the novena fall in a time the whole Church keeps in penance.

This is a different devotion from the St Andrew Christmas novena, which begins on the feast of St Andrew, 30 November, and consists of one prayer said fifteen times a day until Christmas: "Hail and blessed be the hour and moment in which the Son of God was born..." Its full text and history are in our page on the St Andrew Christmas novena. The two can be prayed together; this page gives the nine-day novena.

How the Christmas novena is structured

The novena is a little Advent Office, modelled on Vespers. Each evening, in order:

1. The Prophecies, each answered by the refrain Regem venturum Dominum, venite adoremus;
2. The psalm Laetentur caeli, a mosaic of verses from the psalms and prophets;
3. The chapter Praecursor pro nobis;
4. The hymn En clara vox, with the versicle Rorate caeli;
5. The Magnificat, framed by the antiphon of the day;
6. The closing prayer.

Everything is the same on all nine evenings except two things: the Magnificat antiphon, which changes each day (from 17 to 23 December it is the O Antiphon of the Breviary), and one extra prophecy on 24 December. Name your intention at the beginning and keep it through the nine days.

The full text of the Christmas novena

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.

1. The Prophecies: Regem venturum Dominum

℟. Regem venturum Dominum, venite adoremus.

Iucundare, filia Sion, et exsulta satis, filia Ierusalem: ecce Dominus veniet, et erit in die illa lux magna, et stillabunt montes dulcedinem, et colles fluent lac et mel, quia veniet Propheta magnus, et ipse renovabit Ierusalem.
℟. Regem venturum Dominum, venite adoremus.

Ecce veniet Deus et homo de domo David sedere in throno, et videbitis, et gaudebit cor vestrum.
℟. Regem venturum Dominum, venite adoremus.

Ecce veniet Dominus protector noster, Sanctus Israel, coronam regni habens in capite suo, et dominabitur a mari usque ad mare, et a flumine usque ad terminos orbis terrarum.
℟. Regem venturum Dominum, venite adoremus.

Ecce apparebit Dominus, et non mentietur: si moram fecerit, exspecta eum, quia veniet, et non tardabit.
℟. Regem venturum Dominum, venite adoremus.

Descendet Dominus sicut pluvia in vellus: orietur in diebus eius iustitia et abundantia pacis, et adorabunt eum omnes reges terrae, omnes gentes servient ei.
℟. Regem venturum Dominum, venite adoremus.

Nascetur nobis parvulus, et vocabitur Deus fortis: ipse sedebit super thronum David patris sui, et imperabit, cuius potestas super humerum eius.
℟. Regem venturum Dominum, venite adoremus.

Bethlehem, civitas Dei summi, ex te exiet Dominator Israel, et egressus eius sicut a principio dierum aeternitatis, et magnificabitur in medio universae terrae, et pax erit in terra nostra dum venerit.
℟. Regem venturum Dominum, venite adoremus.

(On 24 December only:) Crastina die delebitur iniquitas terrae, et regnabit super nos Salvator mundi.
℟. Regem venturum Dominum, venite adoremus.

℣. Prope est iam Dominus.
℟. Venite, adoremus.

In English:

℟. Come, let us adore the King, the Lord who is to come.

Rejoice, O daughter of Sion, and be exceeding glad, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold the Lord shall come, and there shall be a great light in that day; the mountains shall drop down sweetness, and the hills shall flow with milk and honey, for the great Prophet shall come, and He shall renew Jerusalem.
℟. Come, let us adore the King, the Lord who is to come.

Behold, God and man shall come of the house of David to sit upon the throne; and you shall see, and your heart shall rejoice.
℟. Come, let us adore...

Behold, the Lord our protector shall come, the Holy One of Israel, bearing the crown of the kingdom upon His head; and He shall rule from sea to sea, and from the river unto the ends of the earth.
℟. Come, let us adore...

Behold, the Lord shall appear, and shall not lie: if He make any delay, wait for Him, for He will surely come and will not tarry.
℟. Come, let us adore...

The Lord shall come down like rain upon the fleece: in His days shall justice spring up, and abundance of peace; and all the kings of the earth shall adore Him, all nations shall serve Him.
℟. Come, let us adore...

A Child shall be born to us, and He shall be called God the Mighty: He shall sit upon the throne of David His father, and shall reign; and the government is upon His shoulder.
℟. Come, let us adore...

Bethlehem, city of the most high God, out of thee shall come forth the Ruler of Israel, and His going forth is from the beginning, from the days of eternity; and He shall be magnified in the midst of all the earth, and there shall be peace in our land when He cometh.
℟. Come, let us adore...

(On 24 December only:) Tomorrow the iniquity of the earth shall be blotted out, and the Saviour of the world shall reign over us.
℟. Come, let us adore...

℣. The Lord is now nigh at hand.
℟. Come, let us adore Him.

The refrain is the invitatory that the Roman Breviary sings at Matins in the first weeks of Advent; the versicle Prope est iam Dominus is the invitatory of the last days. The prophecies are woven from Zacharias, Isaias, Habacuc, Psalm lxxi and Micheas: "Thou Bethlehem Ephrata... out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be the ruler in Israel, and his going forth is from the beginning, from the days of eternity" (Micheas v. 2, Douay-Rheims).

2. The psalm: Laetentur caeli

Laetentur caeli, et exsultet terra: iubilate, montes, laudem.
Erumpant montes iucunditatem, et colles iustitiam.
Quia Dominus noster veniet, et pauperum suorum miserebitur.
Rorate, caeli, desuper, et nubes pluant iustum: aperiatur terra, et germinet Salvatorem.
Memento nostri, Domine, et visita nos in salutari tuo.
Ostende nobis, Domine, misericordiam tuam, et salutare tuum da nobis.
Emitte Agnum, Domine, dominatorem terrae, de petra deserti ad montem filiae Sion.
Veni ad liberandum nos, Domine, Deus virtutum: ostende faciem tuam, et salvi erimus.
Veni, Domine, visitare nos in pace, ut laetemur coram te corde perfecto.
Ut cognoscamus, Domine, in terra viam tuam, in omnibus gentibus salutare tuum.
Excita, Domine, potentiam tuam, et veni, ut salvos facias nos.
Veni, Domine, et noli tardare: relaxa facinora plebi tuae.
Utinam dirumperes caelos, et descenderes: a facie tua montes defluerent.
Veni, et ostende nobis faciem tuam, Domine, qui sedes super Cherubim.
Gloria Patri, et Filio, et Spiritui Sancto. Sicut erat in principio, et nunc, et semper, et in saecula saeculorum. Amen.

Let the heavens rejoice, and let the earth be glad: give praise, O ye mountains.
Let the mountains break forth into joy, and the hills into justice.
For our Lord shall come, and shall have mercy on His poor.
Drop down dew, ye heavens, from above, and let the clouds rain the Just: let the earth be opened, and bud forth a Saviour.
Remember us, O Lord, and visit us with Thy salvation.
Shew us, O Lord, Thy mercy, and grant us Thy salvation.
Send forth, O Lord, the Lamb, the ruler of the earth, from the rock of the desert to the mount of the daughter of Sion.
Come to deliver us, O Lord, God of hosts: shew Thy face, and we shall be saved.
Come, O Lord, to visit us in peace, that we may rejoice before Thee with a perfect heart.
That we may know Thy way, O Lord, upon earth, Thy salvation in all nations.
Stir up Thy might, O Lord, and come to save us.
Come, O Lord, and do not delay: forgive the sins of Thy people.
O that Thou wouldst rend the heavens, and wouldst come down: the mountains would melt away at Thy presence.
Come and shew us Thy face, O Lord, who sittest upon the Cherubim.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

3. The chapter

Praecursor pro nobis ingreditur Agnus sine macula secundum ordinem Melchisedech, Pontifex factus in aeternum et in saeculum saeculi: ipse est Rex iustitiae, cuius generatio non habet finem.
℟. Deo gratias.

The Lamb without spot goes in before us as our forerunner, made a High Priest for ever according to the order of Melchisedech: He is the King of justice, whose generation hath no end.
℟. Thanks be to God.

The chapter echoes the Epistle to the Hebrews: "Where the forerunner Jesus is entered for us, made a high priest for ever according to the order of Melchisedech" (Hebrews vi. 20).

4. The hymn: En clara vox

The hymn is a cento of the Roman Breviary: its first two stanzas are taken from En clara vox, the Advent hymn of Lauds, and the next three from A solis ortus cardine, the hymn of Lauds on Christmas Day.

En clara vox redarguit, obscura quaeque personans: procul fugentur somnia, ab alto Iesus promicat.

En Agnus ad nos mittitur laxare gratis debitum: omnes simul cum lacrimis precemur indulgentiam.

Beatus auctor saeculi servile corpus induit, ut carne carnem liberans ne perderet quos condidit.

Castae parentis viscera caelestis intrat gratia: venter puellae baiulat secreta quae non noverat.

Domus pudici pectoris templum repente fit Dei: intacta nesciens virum concepit alvo Filium.

Deo Patri sit gloria, eiusque soli Filio, cum Spiritu Paraclito, in saeculorum saecula. Amen.

℣. Rorate, caeli, desuper, et nubes pluant iustum.
℟. Aperiatur terra, et germinet Salvatorem.

In plain English: "Behold, a clear voice rebukes, sounding through all that is dark: let dreams be put to flight, Jesus shines forth from on high. Behold, the Lamb is sent to us, to pay our debt freely: let us all together, with tears, beg for pardon. The blessed Maker of the world put on a servant's body, that, freeing flesh by flesh, He might not lose those He had made. Heavenly grace enters the womb of a chaste mother; the Maiden bears within her secrets she had not known.

The house of a modest breast becomes on a sudden the temple of God; untouched, knowing not man, she conceived a Son in her womb. Glory be to God the Father, and to His only Son, with the Spirit Paraclete, for ages of ages. Amen." The versicle is Isaias xlv. 8: "Drop down dew, ye heavens, from above, and let the clouds rain the just: let the earth be opened, and bud forth a saviour."

5. The antiphon of the day and the Magnificat

The antiphon of the day is said before the Magnificat and again after it.

• 16 December — Ecce veniet Rex, Dominus terrae, et ipse auferet iugum captivitatis nostrae. Behold, the King shall come, the Lord of the earth, and He shall take away the yoke of our captivity.
• 17 December — O Sapientia, quae ex ore Altissimi prodiisti, attingens a fine usque ad finem, fortiter suaviterque disponens omnia: veni ad docendum nos viam prudentiae. O Wisdom, who camest out of the mouth of the Most High, reaching from end to end mightily, and sweetly disposing all things: come and teach us the way of prudence.
• 18 December — O Adonai, et Dux domus Israel, qui Moysi in igne flammae rubi apparuisti, et ei in Sina legem dedisti: veni ad redimendum nos in brachio extento. O Adonai, and Leader of the house of Israel, who didst appear to Moses in the fire of the burning bush, and gavest him the law on Sinai: come and redeem us with an outstretched arm.
• 19 December — O Radix Iesse, qui stas in signum populorum, super quem continebunt reges os suum, quem gentes deprecabuntur: veni ad liberandum nos, iam noli tardare. O Root of Jesse, who standest as a sign to the peoples, before whom kings shall keep silence, and unto whom the Gentiles shall make their supplication: come to deliver us, and tarry not.
• 20 December — O Clavis David, et sceptrum domus Israel, qui aperis, et nemo claudit; claudis, et nemo aperit: veni, et educ vinctum de domo carceris, sedentem in tenebris et umbra mortis. O Key of David, and Sceptre of the house of Israel, who openest and no man shutteth, who shuttest and no man openeth: come and lead the prisoner from the prison-house, who sitteth in darkness and the shadow of death.
• 21 December — O Oriens, splendor lucis aeternae, et sol iustitiae: veni, et illumina sedentes in tenebris et umbra mortis. O Orient, Splendour of eternal light and Sun of justice: come and enlighten them that sit in darkness and the shadow of death.
• 22 December — O Rex gentium, et desideratus earum, lapisque angularis, qui facis utraque unum: veni, et salva hominem, quem de limo formasti. O King of the nations, and their Desire, the Cornerstone who makest both one: come and save mankind, whom Thou formedst out of the clay.
• 23 December — O Emmanuel, Rex et legifer noster, exspectatio gentium, et Salvator earum: veni ad salvandum nos, Domine, Deus noster. O Emmanuel, our King and Lawgiver, the Expectation of the nations and their Saviour: come and save us, O Lord our God.
• 24 December — Cum ortus fuerit sol de caelo, videbitis Regem regum procedentem a Patre, tamquam sponsum de thalamo suo. When the sun shall have risen from heaven, you shall see the King of kings proceeding from the Father, as a bridegroom from his bride-chamber.

These are the antiphons the Breviary sings at the Magnificat of Vespers on the same evenings; their meaning, title by title, is explained in our page on the O Antiphons of Advent, and the hymn made from them in O Come, O Come, Emmanuel. Then the Magnificat (St Luke i. 46-55, Douay-Rheims):

My soul doth magnify the Lord. And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour. Because he hath regarded the humility of his handmaid; for behold from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed. Because he that is mighty, hath done great things to me; and holy is his name. And his mercy is from generation unto generations, to them that fear him. He hath shewed might in his arm: he hath scattered the proud in the conceit of their heart. He hath put down the mighty from their seat, and hath exalted the humble. He hath filled the hungry with good things; and the rich he hath sent empty away. He hath received Israel his servant, being mindful of his mercy: as he spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his seed for ever.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

Repeat the antiphon of the day. Here name your intention.

6. The closing prayer

We close with the Advent collect Festina, quaesumus, the prayer of the Roman Missal for the Ember Wednesday of Advent:

℣. Oremus. Festina, quaesumus, Domine, ne tardaveris, et auxilium nobis supernae virtutis impende: ut adventus tui consolationibus subleventur, qui in tua pietate confidunt. Qui vivis et regnas cum Deo Patre in unitate Spiritus Sancti Deus, per omnia saecula saeculorum.
℟. Amen.

℣. Let us pray. Make haste, we beseech Thee, O Lord, tarry not, and grant us the help of Thy heavenly power: that they who trust in Thy goodness may be lifted up by the consolations of Thy coming. Who livest and reignest with God the Father in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end.
℟. Amen.

In church the novena ends with Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament. At home, end with the sign of the cross.

How to pray the Christmas novena at home

Many parishes once sang this novena every evening; where it is no longer sung, it is easily prayed at home before the crib or the Advent wreath.

• A fixed hour. The same time each evening, so the whole house learns to wait.
• Divide the parts. One person reads the prophecies and the others answer Come, let us adore the King, the Lord who is to come; children learn the refrain in a day. The psalm and the Magnificat can be said in alternate verses.
• Change only the antiphon. Each evening, take the antiphon of the date from the list above.
• Latin or English. The novena was written in Latin and sung to a simple melody in the manner of Gregorian chant. Pray it in Latin, in English, or both; the English given here follows the Latin closely.

A short form of the Christmas novena

For small children, the sick, or the busiest evenings, keep the essentials: the sign of the cross, the prophecies with their refrain, the antiphon of the day with the Magnificat, and the closing prayer. Even so reduced, prayed faithfully every evening, the novena keeps its fruit.

The history of the Christmas novena

The novena was first sung at Christmas 1720 (some accounts say 1721) in Turin, in the church of the Immaculate Conception belonging to the Priests of the Mission, the Vincentians, who trained clergy there. Its text and simple melody are attributed to Fr Carlo Antonio Vacchetta (1665-1747), a Vincentian of that house; no document puts the attribution beyond doubt, but the tradition of his community has always given it to him. From Piedmont the Vincentian missions carried it through Italy, and the first Vincentians who came to America in 1816 brought it with them. For two centuries it was sung in Latin; it is the "old Christmas novena" many older Catholics remember.

It took its material from the Church's own prayer: the invitatory of Advent Matins, the hymn of Advent Lauds, the O Antiphons of Advent Vespers, and the prophets. The O Antiphons themselves are far older, sung at the Magnificat of Vespers since the early Middle Ages.

The Church encouraged the practice. The Raccolta, her collection of indulgenced prayers (Benziger edition of 1943, no. 100), granted an indulgence of ten years to the faithful who devoutly take part in a public novena before Christmas in honour of the Divine Infant, and a plenary indulgence on the usual conditions to those who attend at least five of its exercises; to those who pray such a novena privately for nine days, it granted seven years each day and a plenary indulgence at its end.

St Alphonsus Liguori, a generation after Turin, left nine meditations for the same nine days, his Novena of Christmas, which many still read alongside the prayers; and he wrote for his missions the Christmas song Tu scendi dalle stelle, still the best-loved carol of Italy.

Christmas novenas around the world

The nine days before Christmas are kept in prayer in many Catholic countries, under different forms. In the Philippines the Simbang Gabi or Misa de Gallo is a novena of dawn Masses from 16 to 24 December. In Colombia families pray the Novena de Aguinaldos over the same nine evenings, and in Mexico the Posadas re-enact, on each of the nine nights, the search of St Joseph and Our Lady for lodging in Bethlehem. Religious houses also offer a Christmas Novena of Masses, nine Masses for the intentions of those who enrol, often with a card sent to the family; the offering made for it is a free alms, not a price. All of them grow from the same root: the Church's longing, in the last days of Advent, for the coming of her Lord.

What is a Christmas novena?

A novena, from the Latin novem, nine, is a prayer kept for nine days, after the nine days the Apostles and Our Lady spent in prayer between the Ascension and Pentecost; the principles are set out in our page on what a novena is. A Christmas novena is a novena that prepares for the Nativity, so it is prayed on the nine days that end on Christmas Eve. Unlike most novenas, its first purpose is not to obtain a favour but to prepare the soul to receive the Child born at Christmas; but it is perfectly fitting to carry a particular intention through it, as the faithful always have.

Christmas novena PDF

We do not offer a PDF. The whole novena is on this page, Latin and English, with the antiphon of each day, and it prints as it is. But a sheet of paper is easily lost in December. The Iter Fidei app keeps the novena at hand evening after evening, in Latin and English, with a daily reminder, offline. Join early access here.

Frequently Asked Questions

When does the Christmas novena start?

On 16 December, ending on 24 December, Christmas Eve. The St Andrew Christmas novena, a different devotion, begins earlier, on 30 November.

How do you pray the Christmas novena?

Each evening from 16 to 24 December, say the prophecies with the refrain Regem venturum Dominum, venite adoremus, the psalm, the chapter, the hymn, the antiphon of the day with the Magnificat, and the closing prayer. Only the antiphon changes from day to day, and one prophecy is added on 24 December.

Is the St Andrew novena the same as the Christmas novena?

No. The St Andrew Christmas novena is a single prayer, "Hail and blessed be the hour and moment...", said fifteen times a day from 30 November to Christmas Eve. The Christmas novena is a nine-day office of prophecies, psalm, hymn and antiphons from 16 to 24 December.

Who wrote the traditional Christmas novena?

It was first sung at Turin in 1720 in the church of the Vincentian Fathers, and its text and melody are attributed to Fr Carlo Antonio Vacchetta, C.M. (1665-1747). Its prophecies come from Scripture, and its hymn and antiphons from the Roman Breviary.

Can I pray the Christmas novena for a special intention?

Yes. Name your intention each evening after the Magnificat. The Church's first intention in these days is that Christ be born in our souls, and every other petition fits under that one.

Why does the Christmas novena use the O Antiphons?

Because the novena was built from the Church's own prayer for these days. From 17 to 23 December the Breviary sings the seven O Antiphons at Vespers, and the novena takes them up one by one, so that the family praying at home prays with the words of the Divine Office.

The Iter Fidei app carries the novenas of the year, the O Antiphons and the Breviary of 1962, in Latin and English. Join early access here.

Sources. Holy Bible, Douay-Rheims version: Isaias xlv. 8; Micheas v. 2; Hebrews vi. 20; St Luke i. 46-55. Breviarium Romanum, Advent: invitatories of Matins, hymns En clara vox (Lauds of Advent) and A solis ortus cardine (Lauds of Christmas Day), Magnificat antiphons of 17–23 December. Missale Romanum (1962), Ember Wednesday of Advent. The Novena of the Holy Nativity sung at Turin from 1720 (tradition of the Priests of the Mission). The Raccolta, ed. J. P. Christopher and C. E. Spence (Benziger, 1943), no. 100. St Alphonsus Liguori, Novena of Christmas.