More than just an Advent calendar
On the fourth Sunday before Christmas, the contemplative Advent season begins, and with it the new church year. Where the name for this season comes from, though, is probably known only to those who consider themselves well-versed in the Bible. The word 'Advent' comes from Latin and simply means 'arrival.' What's meant, of course, is the arrival of Jesus Christ, the Redeemer. In a figurative sense, then, the Advent season is the time of preparation for Christ's birth. At the same time, though, the Advent season also reminds Christians year after year of the expectation of the second coming of Jesus.
The origin of the Advent season
Advent as we know it today goes back to the 6th century, when Pope Gregory the Great established four Sundays of Advent. Before that, Advent was defined irregularly in the Roman Church with four to six Sundays as an ongoing period of fasting. During this time, people were meant to reflect and think deeply. Elaborate celebrating and dancing were forbidden, and the traditional church color of Advent was violet - it stands for mourning and penance.
That doesn't sound as festive as the Advent season we celebrate today. The four weeks over which the Advent season stretches are by no means chosen at random: in the Middle Ages, the belief was widespread among Christians that God created the earth about 4,000 years before the birth of Christ. The four weeks thus symbolically stand for the four millennia during which people waited for his arrival.
The Advent season today
Of this original idea of fasting, the traditional Christmas carp remains, for example, which is still gladly served as a meal during Advent - fish dishes are and always have been popular during the fasting season, and nothing has changed about that so far. Otherwise, Advent has changed greatly since its origin and today, for most people, is more a form of celebrating than of fasting.
Instead of violet, red and green are the dominant colors of the Advent season - green stands for hope and faithfulness, while red symbolizes the blood of Jesus, which he shed on the cross for humanity. Various customs have taken hold especially over the past centuries and are hard to imagine doing without today. And most of them surely come to your mind, too, when you think of the Advent season.
Festive customs today
The Advent wreath is as much a part of Advent as the Advent calendar - and that's surely true in your home, too. Both customs aren't all that old, though; they arose in the 20th century. The custom of counting down the days until Christmas is of course much older, but the classic Advent calendars for children with the little doors to open only spread from the 1920s onward. The most common form of the Advent calendar has 24 little doors to open - a variation that goes back to a Protestant pastor. In the past, the Advent calendar was filled with biblical stories; today, mostly with chocolate. But maybe you prefer more special Advent calendars these days, for example with fine Nuremberg Elisen gingerbread or even select wines.
Advent wreath and lighting
The Advent wreath, too, is still relatively young and was introduced in 1839 by the Protestant theologian and educator Johann Hinrich Wichern in northern Germany. His, however, was made with 24 candles, four of them large. The traditional Advent wreath with four candles has been made with fir greenery since about 1860. The first Advent wreath in a church was hung up in Cologne in 1925. Today they can be found everywhere during Advent and at Christmas and are a firm custom. You can hardly walk past any front door without spotting an Advent wreath, often homemade.
Advent and the candles
Light and various light symbolism also play a big role in the decorations. Popular, for example, are the wooden light arches, which used to be placed in windows with candles and go back to a mining tradition from the Ore Mountains. During the dark season, the miners signaled their wish for sunlight in the evening and, with a fully lit arch, expressed that all the workers of that house had returned home safe and sound. Would you like to bring festive lighting into your home as well? For that we recommend the Lebkuchen-Schmidt wind chime.
