Advent Calendar 2023 Christian (2024)

FAQs

Are Advent calendars a Christian thing? ›

The calendars have their religious roots in Germany

First things first: The season of Advent dates back to the fourth century, and is celebrated by most Christian churches in the Western tradition.

Advent is a season observed in most Christian denominations as a time of expectant waiting and preparation for both the celebration of the Nativity of Christ at Christmas and the return of Christ at the Second Coming. Advent is the beginning of the liturgical year in Western Christianity.

There are usually 24 windows on a card, one for each day from December 1 to the day before Christmas. Each window has a number, and you open one each day.

For the followers of Jesus, the new year begins with Advent. And what a beginning it is as we start by looking to the very end of the age and the second coming of Christ. Advent issues a clarion call to wake from our slumber, realign life, and get in step with the Holy Spirit.

While the Bible doesn't say anything about observing the tradition of Advent, this tradition has existed within the global Christian church for centuries. It is nearly as old as the church itself, with the earliest mentions of the tradition happening as early as 380 AD at the Council of Saragossa.

Don't be afraid to try to celebrate Advent in your church, but don't feel like you have to do it the way everyone else does. All of our churches are different but the idea of Advent is the same no matter where you all. We long for Jesus and we anticipate the celebration of His birth.

The Advent season is a time of preparation that directs our hearts and minds to Christ's second coming at the end of time and to the anniversary of Our Lord's birth on Christmas. From the earliest days of the Church, people have been fascinated by Jesus' promise to come back.

Advent does have a greater feel of joyful expectation about it than Lent. As someone put it: Lent is the time to make ready for Christ to die for us, but Advent is the time to make ready for Christ to live with us.

An Advent calendar, from the German word Adventskalender, is used to count the days of Advent in anticipation of Christmas. Since the date of the First Sunday of Advent varies, falling between November 27 and December 3 inclusive, many reusable Advent calendars made of paper or wood begin on December 1.

Discerning use of flowers can indicate the relative importance of particular occasions, and signify the keeping of particular seasons. During Advent the floral decoration of the church should be in keeping with the season, not anticipating the full joy of the Nativity of the Lord.

What do people do on Advent? ›

People may light Advent candles, prepare unique wreaths, hold special church services, or read specific Scriptures each day to reflect on the arrival of Jesus on Earth.

And the 25th is Christmas day. The 'event' (Christmas - which is 12 days long, beginning on the 25th of December) which Advent is looking forward to is not part of Advent. Advent is defined as the time running up to or the time of arrival. Thus Advent is the days up to but not including Christmas day.

On the one hand, it's one of the major seasons celebrated by most Christian churches in the Western tradition: Roman Catholics, Anglicans, Episcopalians, Lutherans, and many additional Protestant churches mark the roughly month-long period with special observance.

Not surprisingly, the Advent calendar is also exclusively pagan, in terms of age, tradition and symbolism. This waiting period was also used for all the preparations before the Yule tide started at Langnótt (the night before the solstice, today known as St. Lucia).

What is the meaning of the advent calendar? Derived from the Latin term adventus, meaning 'arrival' or 'coming', advent was originally seen as a time which marked Christ's second coming to the world to judge humanity.

Advent comes from the Latin word adventus, meaning “arrival” or “coming.” For Protestants, Catholics and other Christian traditions, Advent is a four-week period intended to be a time of preparation for the arrival of Jesus Christ.