In Christian teaching, there are two events being anticipated. Part of the observance of Advent, celebrated for the four Sundays before Christmas, is reenacting the centuries of anticipation of the birth of Jesus as written about by prophets like Isaiah in the Old Testament.

Advent, (from Latin adventus, “coming”), in the Christian church calendar, the period of preparation for the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ at Christmas and also of preparation for the Second Coming of Christ.

Advent means ‘Coming’ in Latin. This is the coming of Jesus into the world. Christians use the four Sundays and weeks of Advent to prepare and remember the real meaning of Christmas. Some people fast (don’t eat anything) during advent to help them concentrate on preparing to celebrate Jesus’s coming.

Advent is marked by the 25 days, or four Sundays, before Christmas. It is defined as a time of “coming into place, view, or being; arrival”. Advent is simply taking time each day, starting December 1, to prepare for Christmas.

There are a lot of ways in which you can celebrate this holiday season: read a special Advent devotional, listen to Advent hymns, light candles on an Advent wreath, and spend time serving others. However you choose to observe this season, take time to prepare internally for the true meaning of Christmas.

The Advent wreath, a circular wreath with four candles, ispresent in many churches and homes during Advent and is symbolic ofseveral aspects of the Christmas season and Advent. Three purple or bluecandles (representing penitence) and one pink candle (representing joy) areused, one lit for each Sunday of Advent.

The four traditional advent themes for the four advent Sundays are:

• God’s people -The Candle of Hope. Hope is like a light shining in a dark place.
• The old testament prophets – The Candle of Peace.
• John the Baptist – The Candle of Love.
• Mary the mother of Jesus – The Candle of Joy.

7 Fun Ways to Celebrate Advent with Your Family

1. Make Your Own Advent Calendar.
2. Make a Prayer Garland.
3. Read for the Season.
4. Paper Trees and Ornaments.
5. Create a DIY Nativity Scene.
6. Make Christmas Cards Mean More.
7. Make Your Own Advent Candles.

The Advent season invites us to step away from what can be a frenzied time of parties and shopping to consider how we commemorate the birth of Jesus, one of the holiest times in Christian faith. It is also a time to reflect on the triumphant return of Jesus at the second coming.

Midnight mass is a tradition that sees Christians gather for a service on Christmas Eve. The service generally starts just before midnight, depending on whether the church is Roman Catholic of Protestant. Some churches have also made the services start a little earlier to make it easier for young families to get home.

Advent means “coming,” and during the season, Christians prepare for Jesus’ coming. The candles on the Advent wreath symbolize hope, love, joy and peace. The candles are lit in that order, beginning today.

Gaudette Sunday

colour of royalty

Pink became the symbol of this day; priests began to wear pink vestments as a reminder of the coming joy of the resurrection. The third Advent candle, color pink, was selected to be a reminder of the spirit of Lent, with its mixture of joys and sorrows and in particular its joy of the resurrection.

During each Sunday of the Advent season, we focus on one of the four virtues Jesus brings us: Hope, Love, Joy and Peace. Others consider the lighting of the first candle to symbolize expectation, while the second symbolizes hope, the third joy and the fourth purity.

The readings for the second Sunday concern Christ’s birth in a manger and other prophecies, so the candle may be called that of Bethlehem, the way, or of the prophets.