Advent
Advent much more than special calendars and wreaths. Understanding Advent may bring a new appreciation to your celebration this season. Many people think of Advent as just as "Countdown to Christmas". Advent is so much more....It is a beautiful celebration of lights, preprepation for the "Savior of the World" to come, and many ways for families to gather together and share their faith.
Advent FAQ
The Catholic Church has designated four weeks prior to Christmas as Advent. Advents lasts between twenty one and twenty to twenty eight days. It starts on the fourth Sunday before Christmas. Catholics are encouraged to prepare themselves spiritually for the Lord.
Traditions
Wreath: The advent wreath started when Pre-Christian Germanic peoples gathered wreaths of evergreen and lit fires during the Cold December chill of Eastern Europe as signs of hope for the coming spring and renewed light.
Christians continued the practice and by the 16th Century Catholic and Protestants throughout Germany used the Advent wreath as hope in Christ, the everlasting Light. From Germany, the use of the wreath spread to other parts of the world.
Traditionally, the wreath is shaped in a circle of evergreens and has four candles (three candles are violet and the fourth is rose but four white candles or four violet candles can also be used.) Every day during Advent, the candles are lit (preferably a time when the family is gathered together such as before dinner). One candle is lit the first week and then another each week until Christmas. A short prayer may be said during the lighting ceremony.
Jesse Tree : A Jesse tree is a tree or a large banner with a tree on it which is decorated weekly by children with homemade ornaments and objects which represent Old Testament events ranging from Creation to the Birth of our Lord Jesus Christ. The items are either added one each day of Advent or group weekly on Sunday with explanations about these symbols and a brief verse of Scripture.
(for More on the Jesse tree including the Story of the Jesse Tree, How to Make a Jesse Tree, and Scripture Readings for the Jesse Tree, click CRI/The Voice Institute's Site
Calendar: An Advent calendar is a symbol of Advent which is the holy season celebrated in December. It consists of two pieces of cardboard on top of one another. Twenty-four doors are arranged and cut out in the top layer with one door being designated for each day of Advent (beginning from December 1 through December 24) Each door opens up to show a compartment with scenes of either the Nativity or Christmas. Many calendars include pieces of candy or chocolate behind each compartment.
In today's internet environment, there are even "online" advent calendars. To see this year's advent calendar, click here.
St. Nicholas: He is called by many names around the world...Santa Claus, Father Christmas, Le Pere Noel...but did you know that St. Nicholas, a fourth century saint, was the original??
Who was St. Nicholas? He was a very pious man; when his parents died, he gave his inheritance away to the church. He soon became bishop of the area. He was known as a very holy man who became imprisoned because of his faith. He was a man known for love of all especially those who were poor. It was because of this that he became known as the patron saint of children.
To find out more about St. Nicholas: Go here
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