What is Advent?
What is Advent? Well, it depends! (Image credit Heirloom Advent, 2019)
With all this talk of Saving Advent and Advent calendars and Advent candles and...well, what, exactly is Advent? What a good question!
Let's start at the beginning. The word "Advent" is derived from the Latin adventus which means "coming" or "arriving." Probably not surprising since we hear it so often (like, all over this site) applied to the time of year when we await, and prepare for, the arrival of Christmas. So far, so good.
Digging a bit deeper, we commonly see two definitions of Advent used simultaneously to refer to the period of time just before Christmas. Both definitions have a focus on preparation, hope, and anticipation for the forthcoming joys Christmas will bring, although in different, but overlapping ways. Clear as mud? Stick with me! It gets easier, I promise.
Broadly speaking, our common cultural definition for Advent refers to the 24 days in December leading up to Christmas, or the Christmas Countdown. This is the premise on which Advent calendars are based; an Advent calendar may have doors or windows or pockets for each of the 24 days of the countdown, each of which reveals on the appointed day some kind of surprise such as a piece of candy, seasonal picture, or small gift. Other calendars may build up to a reveal, such as gradually decorating a paper or fabric tree through the month. Anyone who has ever helped a small child mark the number of "sleeps 'til Christmas" with a chain of paper rings will be familiar with the gathering joy taking place as the days are counted off one by one!
Advent Calendars mark off the days in December with candies, small gifts, or festive images. Credit to Marcus Spiske via Unsplash.
Advent wreaths are a traditional way to mark the season beginning fourth Sunday before Christmas day. (Credit to Heirloom Advent 2019)
Members of faith traditions which follow the Christian liturgical calendar will also recognize the term to mean the first season of the church year, beginning on the fourth Sunday before Christmas and ending Christmas Eve. The days and weeks of Advent are marked with candles, one for each Sunday. There are variations in how and when the candles are lit, but eventually all four (or five! See? Variations.) are lit together on the last Sunday before Christmas. Christmas Day marks the beginning of the “Christmas Season” for which we just prepared in Advent.
I’m often asked if choosing one of these traditions means we cannot enthusiastically include the other in our family’s observance. The answer is a resounding shout-it-from-the-rooftops NO! Either or both will bring unique joys and pleasures to your season and give the foundations for enduring memories.