An Advent calendar, from the German word Adventskalender, is used to count the days of Advent in anticipation of Christmas.[1] 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. Others start from the First Sunday of Advent.[2][3]
The Advent calendar was first used by German Lutherans in the 19th and 20th centuries, and has since then spread to other Christian denominations.[4][5][6][7]
- ^ Penney, Sue (1999). Christianity. Heinemann. p. 38. ISBN 9780435304775.
In Advent, Christians use special candles and calendars. Advent candles have marks to show the days until Christmas. The candle is lit each day until it burns down to the next mark. Advent calendars have little doors to open, one for each day. Behind each door is a picture. Candles and calendars like this help to remind people that Christmas is coming closer.
- ^ "Online Advent calendar created by the world". Anglican Communion News Service. November 17, 2016. Archived from the original on December 20, 2016. Retrieved December 8, 2016.
] Christians across the world are being invited to celebrate the season of Advent through an interactive, multi-lingual online calendar. The website adventword.org goes live on Advent Sunday (27 November) in nine languages including, for the first time, Arabic. It allows people around the globe to create together an advent calendar with images shared by their mobile phones. Advent, which runs from Sunday 27 November to Christmas Eve, is the season when Christians prepare to celebrate the birth of Jesus. It is traditionally marked with the putting up of an Advent calendar to count down the days. The calendars have daily windows which are opened to reveal images, small chocolates or other gifts.
- ^ Mac Donald, Sarah (November 26, 2014). "Primate launches online calendar for Advent". Catholicireland.net. Catholic Ireland. Archived from the original on April 26, 2016. Retrieved December 8, 2016.
The Primate of All Ireland, Archbishop Eamon Martin, on Tuesday launched a specially commissioned 2014 Advent calendar to coincide with the beginning of Advent on Sunday 30 November. The online calendar can be found on the Irish Catholic bishops' website www.catholicbishops.ie. This year's calendar also incorporates a new feature in the form of an audio 'Thought for Today'. In a statement, the Archbishop said "Each day of Advent amounts to a period of time which allows us to journey and reflect on 'the joy of the Gospel." "As Advent is the season of preparation for the coming of our Lord, I encourage the faithful, notwithstanding our hectic schedule over the coming weeks, to make time to pray – alone and with loved ones – and by so doing to draw nearer to Christ," Archbishop Martin encouraged. The first door on the Advent Calendar will open on Sunday next 30 November and each subsequent day after that.
- ^ Mills, T.J. (May 10, 2010). The Twelve Blessings of Christmas. Thomas Nelson Inc. p. 54. ISBN 9780529124319.
The Advent calendar was first used by Lutherans in the early 19th century. Early printed Advent calendars had Bible verses behind little cardboard doors.
- ^ Gassmann, Günther; Larson, Duane H.; Oldenburg, Mark W. (April 4, 2001). Historical Dictionary of Lutheranism. Scarecrow Press. p. 87. ISBN 9780810866201.
The periods of Advent and Christmas have been especially dear to Lutherans and have provided ground for the creation and observation of customs: the rich tradition of hymn singing and church music, the Advent wreath as a sign of Christ's victory, the Advent calendar with its "windows," candles symbolizing new light in darkness, the varieties of Advent and Christmas cookies (gingerbread, fruit loaf, and so on) with several spices (originally seven, the holy number), the Christmas tree with glittering decoration and self-made figures and symbols as a reminder of the gold and treasures that the three wise men brought to the Christ Child, the cribs and tableaus within and out front of the churches and houses, and the greeting of Christmas morning by hymns and carols blown by trumpets and trombones from church towers.
- ^ "The Season of Advent: Hope, Love, Joy, and Peace". Reno: Faith Lutheran Church. Retrieved December 9, 2021.
The Advent calendar is used to count the days of Advent in anticipation of Christmas. The Advent calendar was first used by German Lutherans in the 19th and 20th centuries but is now widely used among many Christian denominations .
- ^ McLaughlan, David (September 1, 2012). The Top 40 Traditions of Christmas: The Story Behind the Nativity, Candy Canes, Caroling, and All Things Christmas. Barbour Publishing. ISBN 978-1-62029-108-5.
Like many other Christmas traditions, the Advent calendar was a German invention. It is thought to have originated among Lutheran communities and spread to other churches in the area