The Origin of the Novena

The novena plays a key role in the lives of many Christians, bringing hope, peace and reconciliation. Have you ever wondered what the novena means and how it started? I did. With some research, this is what I found out and I would like to share it with you:

The term novena comes from the Latin word novem, which means 'nine'.  This explains why prayer devotions are usually prayed over a period of nine consecutive days, with the exception of a few. The St. Andrew Christmas Novena, for example, is prayed for about 4 weeks beginning on his feast day (Nov. 30) and ending on Christmas Day. Some novenas are also performed several times a day over a period of nine days. The nine-hour novena, for example, is prayed every hour for nine consecutive hours.

There are 4 categories of the novena - mourning, petition, indulgence and preparation for a feast or an important religious event.

Origin
The novena is a prolonged prayer but it is not specifically discussed in the Holy Scriptures. Like many elements in the Catholic Christian tradition, the novena has a pagan past. It was influenced by the Greeks and the Romans who spent nine consecutive days for mourning the loss of a loved one. They then broke the period of mourning with a feast.

During the Middle Ages, people in France and Spain offered prayers for nine consecutive days before Christmas to represent the nine months Jesus was carried in the womb of his blessed mother, Mary. Christmas celebrations during this time were festive yet solemn and praying the novena helped people prepare spiritually.