The Tradition Of The Advent

Advent is the four Sundays leading up to Christmas, or, in other cases, from December 1st to Christmas Day! In Latin, Advent signifies ‘coming.’ This was when Jesus was born into the world. Christians use the four Sundays and weeks of Advent to prepare for and recall the true spirit of Christmas.

The “advent” is the 40-day Nativity Fast in Eastern Orthodoxy, which differs from Western customs. This is the phrase used throughout the New Testament to describe Christ’s Second Coming. The term comes from the Latin word ‘adventus,’ meaning “coming/arrival,” which translates to ‘parousia’ in Greek.

As a result, the Christian calendar’s Advent period awaits the “coming of Christ” from three angles:

• The physical Nativity in Bethlehem
• The receiving of Christ in the listener’s heart
• The messianic Second Coming

Beginning Of The Advent

Nobody knows precisely when the Advent began, but it can be traced back to when at least 567 monks were required to fast in the months preceding up to Christmas. During the Advent, specific individuals fast to help them prepare for Jesus’ arrival.

The Advent, also known as the Nativity Fast, lasts 40 days and begins on November 15th in many Orthodox, Celtic, and Eastern Catholic churches. During Advent, Orthodox Christians often abstain from eating meat and dairy and olive oil, wine, and fish, depending on the day.

On this calendar from the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, you may see what days and foods to consume. Some of the Christmas carols are Advent songs! ‘People Look East,’ ‘Come, Thou Long-Awaited Jesus,’ ‘Lo! He Comes, With Clouds Descending,’ and possibly the most well-known Advent song, ‘O Come, O Come Emmanuel!’.

Calendars And Candles

Advent can be ticked down in various methods, which are a calendar or candles. Calendars are used in a variety of ways in different countries. The most typical ones in the United Kingdom and the United States are made of paper or cards and have 24 or 25 little windows.

Every December, a Christmas scene is exhibited beneath an open window each day. German protestant Christians in the 19th century started counting to Christmas by drawing 24 chalk lines on a door and scratching one off each day in December.

Paper calendars became widespread in Germany in the early 1900s, but folks had made their own since the 1850s. It’s debatable when and where the first surplus calendar was printed. However, it was in the first decade of the twentieth century.

Gerhard Lang, a German printer, was perhaps the most popular and successful early creator of printed Advent calendars. His early calendars had two sheets: a ‘back’ piece of paper with the numerals 1 to 24 imprinted on it – the second sheet of pictures that you could cut out and paste on the numbers each day.

Advent Calendars With Goodies

In the 1920s, Germany produced the first calendars with ‘doors.’ Due to a lack of cardboard during WWII, the manufacture of Advent calendars came to a halt. They created the first chocolate calendar in 1958, and Cadbury’s released their first chocolate calendar in 1971 in the United Kingdom.

Unfortunately, they didn’t sell a lot of them, to begin with. Chocolate advent calendars were only trendy in the 1980s. Some European nations, such as Germany, use a fir garland with 24 bags or boxes. Each box or bag contains a small gift for each day.

There are currently a variety of Advent Calendars ready to purchase and advertise various things, such as chocolate, fragrances, alcoholic beverages, and cosmetics. You can also acquire dog or cat goodies in advent calendars for your pets!

In 2007, the St Pancras Train Station in London, England, created the world’s most giant advent calendar. It was 71 meters high and 23 meters wide, and it was built to commemorate the station’s restoration.

In 2010, a jeweler in Belgium created the world’s most costly advent calendar. It was constructed from 24 glass tubes, each holding diamonds, and silver! The property was estimated to be worth $3.3 million.

Types Of Advent Candles

In Advent, there are two different types of candles which used start counting to Christmas Day. The first appears to be a regular candle, but it has the days leading up to Christmas Day written on it. The candle is lighted on December 1st and burned down to the very first line on the candle.

The same procedure is followed day after day, with the remainder of the candle burnt on Christmas Day. Since the 1700s, Protestant churches in Scandinavia have used 24 little candles to count down the days until Christmas.

An Advent Crown is a candle used to mark the days until Christmas. These are usually in churches than in people’s homes. The crown usually consists of a greenery wreath with four candles around the outside and one in the middle.

The five candles are sometimes displayed in a more typical candelabra. On the first Sunday of Advent, they light one candle, two on the second Sunday, and so on. In Christianity, each candle has a particular meaning.

On Christmas Day, they light the center or independent candle to signify Jesus, the light of the world. This fifth candle, known in Germany as the ‘Heiligabend,’ is lit on Christmas Eve. The color purple is often used in churches to represent the Advent season. The hue can sometimes be changed to pink or rose on the third Sunday, representing Mary.

While Advent is a season to rejoice and anticipate the birth of Christ, it is also much more. Only in the shadows of Advent can the miracle of Christmas be wholly understood and cherished. In the light of Christmas, could Christian living be appropriately appreciated and valued. It’s a choice between Christ’s first-coming promise and the yet-to-be-fulfilled promise of his second coming. Jesus Christ fulfills both Israel’s and the church’s promises; he has come and will return. This is what Advent is all about.