The Season of Advent is a long-standing tradition in many churches throughout the world. It is a crucial part of the liturgical calendar that consists of a focused time of waiting. It’s a season of fasting and spiritual preparation, much like Lent, intentionally hopeful for the arrival of Christ.
Advent begins four Sundays before Christmas. It is a time of expectation. In those few weeks, the whole world waits for Christmas, and Christians focus their hopes on the coming of Christ. Advent comes from a Latin word, advenire, which means “to come to; arrive at; arise.” Clearly, He is who we are waiting for. We expect the arrival of the Christmas holiday, but even more so, we wait for Him to return again and rescue us.
Traditionally, Advent is celebrated with four or five candles in a wreath that are lit as the Sundays pass, lighting the last one on Christmas Eve or Christmas Morning. Some families use a wreath with a candle for each day, marking time like a calendar.
