When was advent started

The Church gradually formalized the celebration of Advent as a period of spiritual preparation for Christmas. The Gelasian Sacramentary , traditionally attributed to Pope St. Gelasius I d. Later, Pope St. Gregory I d. Pope St. Gregory VII d. Finally, about the ninth century, the Church designated the first Sunday of Advent as the beginning of the Church year. We ponder again the great mystery of the incarnation when our Lord humbled Himself, taking on our humanity, and entered our time and space to free us from sin.

An advent wreath traditionally contains four candles-three purple and one rose. Purple dyes were one so rare and costly that they were associated with royalty; the Roman Catholic Church has long used this color around Christmas and Easter to honor Jesus. The three purple candles in the Advent wreath symbolize hope, peace, and love. These candles are lit on the first, second, and fourth Sundays of Advent. The rose candle, which symbolizes joy, is usually lit on the third Sunday.

Sometimes a fifth candle is placed inside the Advent wreath. This candle is lit on Christmas Day. It is white, the color associated with angels and the birth of Jesus. Because Advent wreaths are an informal celebration, not all are the same.

Instead of purple candles, some people use blue, which recalls the color of the night sky before daylight returns. Others use all white candles. An advent calendar is a card or poster with twenty-four small doors, one to be opened each day from December 1 until Christmas Eve.

Each door conceals a picture. This popular tradition arose in Germany in the late s and soon spread throughout Europe and North America.

Originally, the images in Advent calendars were derived from the Hebrew Bible. Considered a fun way of counting down the days until Christmas, many Advent calendars today have no religious content. But the actual first day of the Advent season changes every year. In , that day is November In , it will be November The final day is the same every year: December 24, Christmas Eve — though many calendars run through Christmas Day.

The reason for the shifting start date is somewhat straightforward. As celebrated by Christian churches in the Western tradition as opposed to Eastern Orthodox churches, which keep a different calendar , the season of Advent begins on the fourth Sunday before Christmas and is celebrated on each successive Sunday leading up to Christmas.

There are always four Sundays during Advent prior to Christmas, but Christmas could be any day of the week — which means the distance between the fourth Sunday of Advent and Christmas Day varies. So the length of the season shifts from year to year: In , Christmas fell on a Sunday, which means the season stretched over a total of 28 days.

Last year, it was 24 days long. Advent calendars, though, are more consistent. And Advent calendars are reused all the time. When I was growing up, the Advent calendar in our house had a picture of Mary, Joseph, and the baby Jesus in the manger, with little windows that we opened and read aloud — each contained a verse from the Christmas story. Other people had Advent calendars that held a piece of chocolate to be eaten each day. Advent calendars in one form or another were adapted some time in the 19th century by German Lutherans as a way to mark the days of the season leading up to Christmas.

By the early 20th century, calendars were being manufactured and published in Germany, aimed at delighting kids during the holidays. In , a full-color calendar was produced by the Third Reich for distribution to German mothers; it included, among other things, designs that incorporated swastikas and other Nazi symbols.

On one day, it has pictures that appear to tell the traditional Christmas story — Mary, Joseph, and the baby Jesus in the manger — but the text that accompanies the images is about a woodcutter, a soldier, and a king who get lost in the woods and encounter a woman with a baby who has wise words for them.

Following the war, with cardboard no longer rationed, Christian-themed Advent calendars made their way stateside thanks to the boom in production and the GIs who sent them home to their families.

They got a boost in popularity when Newsweek published a photograph of President Dwight D. Advent calendars have remained popular in the years since, often marketed with the suggestion that they help children count down the days to Christmas, presumably to keep them from bugging their parents every day about how many days are left until they can open presents.

Sometimes pockets in the calendar can be filled by parents with toys or treats, small gifts to satiate the excited child. One can detect some commonality between this and traditions around gift giving during Hanukkah. As such, Advent calendars aimed at children abound. Parents can help children put together a charm bracelet , or let them discover the art of Norman Rockwell.

There are chocolate Advent calendars in all shapes and sizes. There are calendars with puffy, soft shapes that slowly form a nativity scene or depict the adventures of Olaf from Frozen. Participants can buy all kinds of Jesse Tree ornament sets, from rustic wooden ones to whimsical felt ones , or just make their own. Today, Advent calendars are available for virtually any taste, interest, or price point.

Many Advent calendars serve as a way for brands to deliver 24 samples of their products into the hands of potential customers — not a bad marketing move in a month typically associated with spending money.