If the Advent calendar isn't hanging on the door of the kids' room right on December 1, then domestic harmony is usually hanging by a thread instead! For children, the Advent calendar is simply important. Full of anticipation for the holiday, the little doors of the calendar are opened with equal joy day after day to count down to Christmas Eve. But where does the Christmas custom come from, and what makes an Advent calendar an Advent calendar?
Origin and meaning of the Advent calendar
At some point in the 19th century, the Advent calendar came about. Exactly who invented it is unknown. There were many different precursors. Naturally, it has its origins in the Christian community. After all, it's a calendar specifically for Advent (adventus = arrival, in reference to the birth of Jesus Christ). In the Catholic Church, it was still common back then to hold daily Advent devotions in church. Protestant families, on the other hand, cultivated rituals within their own four walls instead, such as reading Bible verses together, singing Christian songs, and, of course, matching prayer. That's why the origins of the Advent calendar are attributed to Protestant families, who used it to make the Advent season more tangible for their children.
By contrast, in Catholic families there was the custom of placing a piece of straw in a manger each day until Christmas Eve. Another custom probably feels more familiar: an Advent candle (instead of today's four) was marked with lines and lit each day, letting it burn down to the next mark. One of the first mentions of the Advent calendar can be found in Thomas Mann's 1901 novel 'Buddenbrooks,' an Advent calendar from the year 1869. So back then it already seems to have been popular during the Christmas season. Presumably, though, the Christmas calendars back then were all still homemade. Similar to the so-called Christmas clock, consisting of rotating paper discs used to count down the remaining days until the holiday. That's even considered the first printed, and thus commercial, form of an Advent calendar.
When did the first Advent calendar appear?
In 1902, the Protestant bookseller Friedrich Tümpler published the first Advent calendar in the form of a Christmas clock in Hamburg. Other variations followed in the years to come, and the 1920s were long regarded as the heyday of the calendars. During this time, Advent calendars with little doors that could be opened also came about. At first, pictures, Bible verses, stories, and poems were hidden behind them, and finally baked goods. This is owed above all to the lithographic institute of Reichhold & Lang in Munich. What followed, as we all know: chocolate.
The Advent calendar today: a media marketing tool
In today's digital age, the Advent calendar is less about chocolate - unless the chocolate is being raffled off: Advent calendars have become a fixed marketing tool for companies. Not only to generate attention for the brand. Of course, also to bring joy to customers and loyal fans. All sorts of products and items are raffled off. From care products and merchandise to memberships or subscriptions to various services to large appliances, even entire cars.
Modern Advent calendars are thus often virtual. They're either specially programmed calendars for clicking open little doors or simple contests through participation via a comment on social media. A completely different form of the Advent calendar is the 'reverse Advent calendar.' A trend that has been gaining more and more approval only in recent years: with it, charitable organizations ask for a small donation each day of Advent - that doesn't have to be money but can also be a gift of food, clothing, or similar everyday items.
Advent calendars in all shapes and colors
Advent calendars thus come in many different shapes and colors. One of the best known is surely the Gengenbach Advent calendar: for more than twenty years, the town of Gengenbach in Baden-Württemberg has decorated its town hall like an Advent calendar. That means: the 24 windows are elaborately decorated by internationally known artists and children's book illustrators. Among them Marc Chagall, Tomi Ungerer, and Otmar Alt. The motifs include figures like Jim Button and Robber Hotzenplotz. One by one, the 24 windows are opened to reveal the motifs day after day before thousands of onlookers.
Even so, it's still a custom in many families to make their own Advent calendar. Be it small burlap sacks over the fireplace, painted mason jars filled with little gifts, or simply decorated paper bags containing small treats. Anyone who wants to give their loved one just a small token of affection and bring back the joy of days gone by might leave little notes with kind words in the morning. There are no limits to creativity when making an Advent calendar.
