The Holy Innocents

Matthew's Gospel tells that when the Magi did not return to tell him where the Child was, King Herod ordered the killing of all boys in Bethlehem two years old and under. Warned by an angel in a dream, Joseph fled with Mary and Jesus to Egypt. The Church honors these children as martyrs, who died not by speaking but in Christ's place.

In the US the feast is a day of prayer for the unborn and for children in danger. In medieval England it was called Childermas, and children were given a special blessing.