The Seventh Day of Christmas, December 31th, is New Year’s Eve and the Feast of St Sylvester I, Pope. Sylvester was a native of Rome and the son of a Roman soldier. He was pope during the time of Constantine, the first Christian emperor. The Edict of Milan, the emergence of the Church from the catacombs, the building of the great basilicas, the Council of Nicaea all took place during his papacy, and though brought about by the emperor, the pope kept the church independent—no small feat in the face of such an overpowering ruler.
In many central and eastern European countries, New Year’s Eve is still sometimes called ‘Silvester’.
