Advent
Although observed from as early as the 4th Century the rise in popularity
of the advent is fairly recent. It is primarily of German origin. Advent
is Latin for "coming towards" (The Latin, "ad", means "towards" whereas
"ven/vent" is core of the Latin verb "veno", meaning "come".). Advent
refers to the days approaching the coming of Christ to earth. More specifically,
in the German tradition, it refers to the 24 days immediately preceding
Christmas day, from December 1-24.
Advent Traditions
Advent
Wreath
The Advent wreath is one of our most popular Advent traditions. Its origin
is in pre-Christian Germany and Scandinavia where the people gathered
to celebrate the return of the sun after the winter solstice. The circular
wreath made of evergreens with four candles interspersed represented the
circle of the year and the life that endures through the winter. As the
days grew longer, people lit candles to offer thanks to the "sun
god" for the light. For us, the lighting of the Advent candles represents
the promise of the coming of Jesus, the light of the world.
Three candles are purple and one is rose. The purple candles in particular symbolize the prayer, penance, and preparatory sacrifices and goods works undertaken at this time. The rose candle is lit on the third Sunday, Gaudete Sunday, when the priest also wears rose vestments at Mass; Gaudete Sunday is the Sunday of rejoicing, because the faithful have arrived at the midpoint of Advent, when their preparation is now half over and they are close to Christmas. As the light of the Advent wreath grows, we share in the expectations of Isaiah, of John the Baptist and of Mary for the fulfillment of God's promise to send a savior. We look forward to the coming of Jesus who pierces the darkness of sin by the light of his love.
Advent
Calendar
One
of the most widely celebrated advent traditions is the advent calendar.
The Advent Calendar finds its origins in the 19th Century from the protestant
area of Germany. Protestant Christian families made a chalk line for every
day in December until Christmas Eve. Before long, commercial entrepreneurs
started replacing the ephemeral chalk lines with printed calendars,. The
first known Advent Calendar is for the advent of 1851.
Soon, other devices helped Germans and German immigrants to America celebrate the advent. Towards the end of the nineteenth century, the Adventclock or the Adventcandle - a candle for 24 days until Christmas - were found in many homes. The first printed speciem was made by Gerhard Lang (1881 - 1974) who was a Swabian parishioner from Maulbronn in Germany. When he was a child his mother made him an Advent Calendar with 24 "Wibbele" (little candies). Later Lang was a participator of the printing office Reichhold & Lang where he published miniature colored pictures which could be affixed on a cardboard at every day in December. This was the first printed Advent Calendar, although without windows to open, published in 1908.
Jesse
Tree
Matthew's genealogy
(Mt 1:1-17), which we hear at Christmastime each year, tells us that Jesus
was the son of David, Israel's greatest king, and back even further, the
son of Abraham, the first patriarch of the Hebrew people, the first person
called by God. Out of this family line, God would take flesh and live
among the people of earth.
From medieval times, Christians have been fascinated with visual representations of the family tree of Jesus. A stained glass window at Chartres Cathedral in France, built in the early 13th century, depicts a Jesus tree, representing the family tree of Jesse, the father of King David, that blossoms in the birth of Jesus the Messiah, the "Son of David." This ancient tradition of the Jesse tree was revived in the mid-20th century as an Advent practice.
Las
Posadas
The word posada means "shelter" or "lodging." This Advent custom, popular
throughout the Spanish-speaking world, reenacts Mary and Joseph’s journey
from Nazareth to Bethlehem and their search for lodging along the way.A
processional carrying a doll representing the Christ Child and images
of Joseph and Mary riding a burro walks through the community streets.
The processional stops at a previously selected home and asks for lodging
for the night. The people are invited in to read scriptures and sing Christmas
carols called villancicos. Refreshments are provided by the hosts.
The doll is left at the chosen home and picked up on the next night when the processional begins again. This continues for eight nights in commemoration of the journey of Mary and Joseph from Nazareth to Bethlehem.
Advent
Articles
from the National Catholic Reporter and the New Catholic Times
- St. Margaret Mary Parish (on line calendar)
- Abbey Press (on line calendar)
- Belief Net (on line calendar)
Related Catechism
Go
to
US Conference of Catholic Bishops Website
www.usccb.org
Use search box at upper right to search for terms. Numbers refer to paragraph numbers of the Catechism.
|
conversion |
#541-46,
#1427-33, #1886-89, #1896, #2581-84, #2608-09 |
|
faith |
#142-84, #1814-16 |
|
hope |
#162,
#673-74, #1817-21, #1843, #2090 |
|
incarnation |
#422-43,
#456-69, #479, #478, #483, #522-34, |
|
manifestation |
#528,
#535 |
|
mission of Jesus |
#430, #436, #438, #534, #536, #606, #608 |
|
paschal
mystery |
#571-73,
#599-618, #638-58 |
|
prophetic
tradition |
#64,
#201, #218, #522-23, #762, #2581-84, #2595 |
|
reign
of God / kingdom of God |
#541-50,
#763-65, #768, #2816-21 |
|
repentance
and reconciliation |
#1427-60 |
|
salvation |
#456-57, #541-50, #599-605 |
|
salvation
history |
#51-73, #430-40 |