Where does Advent actually come from?

Advent is the time of preparation for Christmas, the celebration of the birth of Christ. The word “Advent” comes from the Latin word “Adventus” and means something like “arrival”. “Adventus” was always used in connection with the arrival of kings, emperors, or gods and was thus transferred by the early Christians to the birth of Jesus. Advent also commemorates Christ’s second coming, that is, his return on the day of judgment.

Why does Advent last four Sundays?

Advent has been celebrated since the 5th century. In early medieval Christianity, fasting occurs during the Advent season, usually on the 11th of November at St. Martin’s Day and the original date of Christmas, January 6th.

Depending on the devotion, this period of fasting lasted between three and eight weeks. Church father Gregory I put an end to unequal traditions in the 7th century and established the four weeks that are still valid today. The Four Sundays represent the four cardinal points, the four seasons, the four elements (fire, water, air, and earth), and the four cardinal virtues (prudence, justice, prudence, courage). Four is the number attributed to the world in the Old Testament. The four weeks symbolically mark the 4000 years that elapsed between man’s fall into the Garden of Eden and the birth of Jesus, according to the calculations of time.

The tradition of the ancient church has been preserved in the Russian Orthodox Church – in Russia they celebrate Christmas Eve on the Epiphany. Since people are fasting, there should not be too much dancing, food and celebration on New Year’s Eve.

Three facts about Advent

1. In the 5th century, the French celebrated Advent.: Depending on the source, the tradition of Advent dates back to the 4th century in Italy. One thing is clear: in 460, the Bishop of Tours (France) demanded a 40-day Fast before Christmas. The Catholic Church didn’t cancel it until 1917.
2. The first Christmas wreath had 24 candles: A German named Johann Hinrich Wichern is the inventor of the Advent wreath. In 1833, the director of the children’s hostel in Hamburg gave the children a wooden ring with twenty-four candles to look forward to Christmas.
3. There are gated calendars since 1920: “Arrival timers” have been known as calendars or whiteboards since about 1850. A Munich publisher released the first printed Christmas calendar at the beginning of the 20th century. It is said that the first example whose door can be opened belongs to 1920.

Where does the Christmas wreath come from?

Conceptually, the Advent wreath existed among German Lutherans as early as the 16th century, but the Advent wreath as we know it today dates back to Johann Hinrich Wichern. The evangelical theologian looked at families in the suburbs of Hamburg and noticed how the children looked forward to Christmas. So in 1839 he designed a wooden candlestick, which he quickly decorated with 24 candles. Working days are represented by twenty thin red candles, while Wichern chose four thick white candles for Sundays.

Only large candles remain today from the elaborate version of the Wichern. The wreath also has a rich symbolism. Traditionally, the wreath consists of fir branches held together by a red bow. The wreath is decorated with pine cones, holly and bay leaves, and sometimes mistletoe. The evergreen leaves represent life and hope – because their color never fades, they are also God’s eternity. Its round shape represents a crown, the pointed petals of the sacred flower reminiscent of the crown of thorns that Jesus wore on the cross.

The original Protestant Advent wreath was also adopted in the Russian Orthodox and Catholic Churches. Christmas wreaths have six candles, as Christmas takes a little longer in Russia. In some Catholic churches, candles have liturgical colors. The first three candles are violet: violet symbolizes transformation and is worn only at Christmas and Easter. The last candle is pink, a light violet and an expression of joy, so to speak.

Who Invented the Advent Calendar?

The first Advent calendars appeared in Germany in the mid-19th century, and Protestant families allowed their children to erase the chalk line on the door or wall every day until Christmas. Different traditions developed from this, depending on the family: some lit candles on a string, others counted the days with pictures. In Catholic families, a straw was thrown into the manger every day.

The first printed Christmas calendars appeared around 1900 – for example, Christmas clocks where the pointer is moved every day, or adhesive calendars where a picture is cut and pasted in the right place each day. The advent doors we know today were invented only in 1920. (chj)