The Feast of the Holy Innocents

ashleytumlinwallac
Dec 28, 2025
4 min read

Also known as Childermas or the Children’s Mass

On December 28th, the Church pauses in the midst of Christmas joy to remember a sobering moment in the Gospel story: the murder of the Holy Innocents, those young boys killed by order of King Herod in his desperate attempt to destroy the Christ Child.

The Feast of the Holy Innocents has been observed by the Church since at least 485 AD. It’s a day to honor these first little martyrs of the Christian faith and to pray for children around the world who suffer violence, poverty, or displacement.

The Story from Scripture

In Matthew’s Gospel, we read that the Wise Men came to Jerusalem, seeking the “one who had been born king of the Jews.” When King Herod heard this, he was deeply troubled. Gathering the chief priests and scribes, he asked where the Messiah was to be born. Their answer: Bethlehem.

Herod summoned the Wise Men privately, shared the location, and asked them to report back once they found the child, claiming that he, too, wished to go and worship. But the Wise Men, warned in a dream not to return, went home by another way.

Realizing he had been outwitted, Herod was enraged. In an attempt to eliminate this newborn “king,” he ordered the slaughter of all male children aged two and under in Bethlehem and its surrounding region. The Church has long honored these little ones, called the Holy Innocents, as the first to shed their blood for Christ.

The day is sometimes called Childermas or Children’s Mass, because in many traditions the Church blesses children in a special way on this day.

Ways to Celebrate the Feast of the Holy Innocents

Here are a few meaningful and historic ways to observe this feast in your home, rooted in both solemn remembrance and child-centered joy.

Let the Children Rule

In medieval monastery schools, it was traditional to elect a “boy bishop” or student ruler for the day. The chosen child got to lead prayers, make announcements, and decide what the community would eat or do.

This tradition made its way into family homes as well. On this day, allow the youngest children in the household to “rule," deciding meals, choosing games or stories, and setting the pace of the day (within reason!).

Play Gentle Pranks

In Spain, Hispanic America, and the Philippines, December 28 is also a day for lighthearted mischief, like April Fool’s Day. The pranks, known as inocentadas, are meant to reflect the surprise and sorrow of Herod’s deceit. Victims of the pranks are called inocentes, and the only rule is this: no one is allowed to get angry.

In Venezuela, the day is called Fiesta de Locos, “Feast of Fools”—a nod to the madness of Herod’s actions.

For brave families, you can even try the tradition from Ibi, Spain, where people dress up and have a flour fight in the streets. If the weather’s not ideal, a small indoor version (with lots of towels) might bring joy to your little “innocents.”

Listen to the Coventry Carol

This hauntingly beautiful carol dates back to 16th-century Coventry, England, and was originally performed as part of a mystery play called The Pageant of the Shearmen and Tailors. The play dramatized the events of Matthew 2, and the carol itself is a lullaby sung by grieving mothers to their doomed children.

Pray for Children Who Suffer

This feast is a powerful time to intercede for children, both in our own communities and around the world, who face illness, hunger, war, or abuse. It’s also an opportunity to reflect on how we can help the vulnerable in our daily lives.

A Devotion for the Feast of the Holy Innocents

Light your Christ candle and gather for a short time of prayer and reflection.

Leader: The Lord be with you.People: And also with you.

Leader: Let us pray.

We remember today, O God, the murder of the holy innocents of Bethlehem by King Herod.Receive into your arms of mercy all innocent victims; and by your great might confuse all the designs of evil tyrants and establish your rule of justice, love, and peace; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever.Amen.

Scripture Reading: Matthew 2:13–18

13 After the wise men were gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. “Get up! Flee to Egypt with the child and his mother,” the angel said. “Stay there until I tell you to return, because Herod is going to search for the child to kill him.”14 That night Joseph left for Egypt with the child and Mary, his mother,15 and they stayed there until Herod’s death. This fulfilled what the Lord had spoken through the prophet: “I called my Son out of Egypt.”16 Herod was furious when he realized that the wise men had outwitted him. He sent soldiers to kill all the boys in and around Bethlehem who were two years old and under, based on the wise men’s report of the star’s first appearance.17 Herod’s brutal action fulfilled what God had spoken through the prophet Jeremiah:18 “A cry was heard in Ramah,weeping and great mourning.Rachel weeps for her children,refusing to be comforted,for they are dead.”