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.

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.

Advent has probably been observed since the fourth century. Originally, it was a time when converts to Christianity readied themselves for baptism. During the Middle Ages, Advent became associated with preparation for the Second Coming. In early days Advent lasted from November 11, the feast of St.

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.

Three candles are purple and one is rose or pink. The first candle represents hope. The second candle peace. The pink candle, generally lit on the third Sunday of Advent, represents joy.

Advent is a season of the liturgical year 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. In the New Testament, this is the term used for the Second Coming of Christ.

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.

Advent reminds Christians of the sacred meaning of Christmas. Despite the secular preparations taking place, eg buying presents and going to parties, Advent reminds Christians to remember and prepare for the birth of Jesus. They may also attend carol services as part of Advent.

Some ideas to incorporate music into your Advent preparations might include:

1. Replacing your prayers with a song each week or each day as you celebrate.
2. Use a single verse each day from a song you pick for an entire week, repeating as necessary.

purple

10 Things To Do During Advent

• Advent Reflections.
• Begin a Tradition of the Advent Wreath in Your Home.
• Get a Book of Advent Reflections.
• The Jesse Tree.
• Get your Children an Advent Calendar.
• Make a Pilgrimage to a Local Marian Shrine or Cathedral.
• Commit to Helping Someone Else During Advent and/or Throughout the Year.

Within the Advent wreath are candles that generally represent the four weeks of the Advent season as well as “the light of God coming into the world through the birth of Jesus Christ” although each of the candles can be attributed its own significance as well; in one version of such interpretation, the candles …

The third candle which is pink or rose, represents Gaudette Sunday and the joy that the birth of Christ brought to the world. Traditionally, on Gaudette Sunday one takes a break from Advent fasting to experience the joy of the day.

What is the order of lighting candles? On the first week, light one purple one. On the second week, light both the first purple one and the second purple one. On the third week, light the first purple one, the second purple one, and the pink one.

Gaudete Sunday

Light the first candle on the first Sunday of Advent. On the fourth Sunday before Christmas Day, light one of the purple candles. This candle represents the hope that people felt before the birth of Jesus, and you can read Isaiah 64:1–9 to accompany your lighting.

Lord God, let your blessing come upon us as we light the candles of this wreath. May the wreath and its light be a sign of Christ’s promise to bring us salvation. May he come quickly and not delay. We ask this through Christ our Lord.

The lighting tradition- On the fourth Sunday before Christmas (the first Sunday of Advent), the first Advent candle is lit at dinner and a short prayer is said. The first candle is lit each night along with a short prayer. On the second Sunday of Advent, a second purple candle is lit.

Advent Sunday, also called the First Sunday of Advent or First Advent Sunday, among the Western Christian Churches, is the first day of the liturgical year and the start of the season of Advent….

The Advent wreath is a popular Advent custom that originated in Germany. It consists of four candles, surrounded by evergreen branches. The light of the candles signifies the light of Christ, Who will come into the world at Christmas. Once you have your Advent wreath, you will need to bless it.

• 10 Simple Ways To Celebrate Advent. Swing into Christmas with joy instead of frenzy.
• Attend Advent Services.
• Add Some Sacred Music to Your Life.
• Read an Advent Series Together.
• Set Up a Nativity Scene.
• Enjoy Special Holiday Food.
• Remember Your Neighbors.
• Encourage Thankfulness.

Prayers for Lighting the Advent Wreath Candles All-powerful God, increase our strength of will for doing good that Christ may find an eager welcome at his coming and call us to his side in the kingdom of heaven, where he lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit one God, forever and ever. Amen.

You may light a prayer candle for yourself, another person, or for a situation. Bow your head in quiet solitude. Direct your prayer to God, Allah, the angels, the universe, your higher self, or to whatever source from where you draw your spiritual strength from. Say a prayer in silence.

The practice of lighting a candle to pray is not in the Bible. The first disciples did not light candles for this purpose. Candles were used only for lighting, because there was no electric light. A prayer with a lighted candle is the same as a prayer without a candle for God.

The candle symbolizes light in the darkness of life especially individual life, illlumination; it is the symbol of holy illumination of the spirit of truth. Lit in times of death, they signify the light in the next world, and they represent Christ as the light. Purification and cleansing closely related.

The blessing of candles at the Purification is deeply rooted in Church History: since the 7th century, beeswax candles have been blessed on Candlemas. Anselm further explains the wick within the candle symbolizes the soul of Christ and the flame symbolizes is his divinity.

Falling exactly 40 days after Christmas, Candlemas (or the Feast of the Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary) was observed as the official end of Christmas in medieval England.

Candlemas commemorates the ritual purification of Mary, 40 days after the birth of her son Jesus. This day also marks the ritual presentation of the baby Jesus to God in the Temple at Jerusalem. On Candlemas night, many people place lighted candles in their windows at home.

In addition to that, on account of their association with the “Light of the World”, blessed candles are a powerful sacramental to use against evil spirits moving about. We all know that the devil lives in darkness, and so the light of the blessed candle invokes the power of God to keep the devil’s influence at bay.