The ADVENT Season:
Advent is the liturgical season that precedes and prepares for Christmas. It is a
season of hope and of longing, of joyful expectation and of peaceful preparation.
Many symbols and traditions are associated with Advent, especially the Advent
Wreath with its four colored candles (three purple and one pink), but also Advent
calendars, special Advent music, food, processions, and other traditions that may
vary from one culture or region to the next. Here are a few interesting things to
know about Advent:
When and how long is Advent?
o For most Christians, the Advent Season always begins four Sundays
before Christmas; so it is rarely four full weeks long, but only between
three and four weeks, depending on what weekday Dec. 25 happens to
be in a certain year.
o The First Sunday of Advent, which marks the beginning of the new
liturgical year for the Church, could be as early as Nov. 27 or
as late as Dec. 3.
o The Third Sunday of Advent is traditionally called "Gaudete Sunday"
(from Latin, meaning "Rejoice!), because the "Entrance Antiphon" of
this Sunday's Mass is taken from Paul's letter to the Philippians:
"Rejoice in the Lord always; again I say, rejoice! The Lord is near."
(Phil 4:4+5b)
o The Fourth Sunday of Advent could be as early as Dec. 18, a full week
before Christmas (as in 2016 and 2022), or as late as Dec. 24, making
it the same day as "Christmas Eve" (as in 2017 or 2023).
o Advent technically ends of the afternoon of Dec. 24, since that
evening, Christmas Eve, begins the Christmas Season.
o Most Eastern Orthodox and other Eastern Christian Churches have a
"Nativity Fast" (now often called "Advent Fast"), which usually
lasts forty days before Christmas; it may begin on Nov. 15 (for those
Churches that celebrate Christmas on Dec. 25), or in late November
(for those Churches that celebrate Christmas on Jan. 7 or 8).
What does the word "Advent" mean?
o When capitalized, "Advent" usually refers to "the coming of Christ into
the world" or to "the liturgical period preceding Christmas"; it may also
refer to the "Second Coming" of Christ (the "Advent of our Lord").
o In secular English, "advent" (not capitalized) may refer to any
"coming" or "arrival," especially of something so important that it
radically changed a whole culture (e.g., "The advent of electricity" or
"The advent of the computer age").
o The word is derived from the Latin adventus ("arrival, approach"),
made up of the preposition ad- ("to, towards"), the verbal
root ven- (from venire, "to come"), and the suffix -tus (indicating
verbal action).
o The word is very similar in many other European languages: Advent,
Advento, Avent, Avvento, Adviento, etc.
What are the traditional colors of Advent?
o In the Roman Catholic Church, the official liturgical color for most of
the Season of Advent is violet. Only on the Third Sunday of Advent is
a rose (pink) colored candle lit, as a symbol of joy; the priest may
also wear rose vestments on this Sunday.
o Many Anglicans and some Protestant Churches use blue instead of
violet throughout Advent, although they may also use rose/pink on the
Third Sunday.
o Other church decorations (altar cloths, banners, etc.) will often have
combinations of violet, pink, and blue throughout the season.
Liturgically-minded churches will avoid greens and reds (the secular
Christmas colors), and will wait until the Christmas season to use
decorations with white, silver, and gold colors.
What is an Advent Wreath?
o Many churches and families prominently
display an evergreen wreath with four
candles throughout the Advent Season.
o It is traditionally made of some type or
mixture of evergreens (fir, spruce, juniper,
holly, etc.), symbolizing the continuation of
life in the middle of the cold and dark winter
(in the northerly latitudes, at least).
o Advent wreaths traditionally include three
purple/violet candles and one pink/rose-
colored candle, which are arranged evenly
around the wreath, although some people
use four violet or four white candles.
o Only one purple candle is lit during the first week, two in the second week,
three (incl. the pink one) in the third week, and all four during the fourth
week of Advent; the gradually increasing light symbolizes the approach of
Christmas, the birth of Jesus, the light of the world.
o Since the rose candle is not lit until the Third Sunday of Advent, it is best to
start on the First Sunday of Advent lighting the purple candle located directly
opposite the pink one, and then to continue clockwise around the wreath in
the following weeks. Thus, one could go in the following orders: 1-right, 2-
front, 3-left (rose), 4-back; or 1-front right, 2-front left, 3-back left (rose),
and 4-back right.
o In many churches, a large wreath is ritually blessed at the beginning of the
first liturgy on the First Sunday of Advent. Families can also use a smaller
Advent wreath in their homes, which they themselves can bless (Families can
gather around the wreath daily for some brief Advent prayers and readings,
especially at the time of the evening meal, lighting the appropriate number of
candles for each week.
o Some Christian traditions assign specific symbolism to each of the candles:
1) The Prophet's Candle, symbolizing Hope;
2) The Bethlehem Candle, symbolizing Faith;
3) The Shepherd's Candle, symbolizing Joy;
4) The Angel's Candle, symbolizing Peace.
o Some churches and families add a fifth candle (white) in the middle of the
wreath for Christmas Eve or Day; others continue using the same wreath
throughout the Christmas Season, replacing the colored Advent candles with
fresh candles that are white or gold, symbolizing the arrival of Christ, the light
of the world.
What are the liturgical readings for the Sundays of Advent?
Each of the four Sundays of Advent has its own special readings and
characteristics:
o First Sunday of Advent - The readings look forward to the "End Times" and
the coming of the "Day of the Lord" or the "Messianic Age"; the Gospel is an
excerpt from the Apocalyptic Discourse of Jesus in one of the Synoptic
Gospels.
o Second Sunday of Advent - The Gospel readings focus on the preaching
and ministry of John the Baptist as the precursor or forerunner of Jesus, the
one who came to "Prepare the Way of the Lord," by calling the people to turn
back to God.
o Third Sunday of Advent - The Gospel readings continue to focus on John
the Baptist, who talks about the one who is to come after him, while the first
and second readings convey the joy that Christians feel at the world's
salvation through the incarnation of thje Savior.
o Fourth Sunday of Advent - The Gospels tell of the events that preceded
and prepared for the birth of Jesus, including the dreams of Joseph (Year A),
the Annunciation (Year B), and the Visitation of Mary to Elizabeth (Year C).
o See the website of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB)
What are the liturgical readings for the Weekdays of Advent?
There are actually two sets of weekday readings for the Advent season:
o Readings for the weekdays in the first three weeks, but only up to Dec. 16:
the Gospel readings are excerpts from various chapters in Matthew and Luke;
the first readings are mostly from the book of the prophet Isaiah.
o Readings for the weekdays from Dec. 17 to Dec. 24: the Gospel readings
cover all of Matthew 1 and Luke 1, sequentially; the first readings are
selected thematically from various prophetic books of the Old Testament.
o The weekdays from Dec. 17 to Dec. 24 also make use of the "O Antiphons,"
not only during Evening Prayer in the Liturgy of the Hours, but also in the
Alleluia verse before the Gospel at Mass.
What other liturgical celebrations can occur during the Season of
Advent?
Several "Feasts" and "Memorials" of saints can be celebrated on the
weekends of Advent, but most of them are omitted if the usual date happens
to fall on a Sunday in a particular year, since these celebrations are
considered less important than the Sundays of Advent.
o Nov. 30 - Feast of St. Andrew, the Apostle - may occur just before or
during the first week of Advent, depending on the year.
o Dec. 6 - St. Nicholas - although the day is only an "optional memorial"
on the Roman liturgical calendar, this popular saint gave rise to the
gift-giving tradition now associated with "Santa Claus"; in certain
countries, Dec. 6 is still a day when parents give simple gifts (often
fruit or nuts) to their children.
o Dec. 8 - Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin
Mary - a "Holy Day of Obligation" in the United States; if Dec. 8 falls
on a Sunday, this Solemnity is transferred to Monday, Dec. 9.
o Dec. 12 - Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe - only ranked as a
"Memorial" in much of the world, but considered an important "Feast"
in the United States and many Latino countries.
o The "Memorials" of several other saints can be celebrated during
Advent, but only if they fall on a weekday, not on Sunday:
St. Francis Xavier (Dec. 3), St. Ambrose (Dec. 7), St. Lucy (Dec. 13),
St. John of the Cross (Dec. 14), and a few other "optional memorials"
(St. John of Damascus, St. Nicholas, St. Juan Diego, St. Damasus I,
St. Peter Canisius, and St. John of Kanty).
