Advent: Facts And History About The Christian Season Celebration

Ellen Lloyd - AncientPages.com - Advent is a Christian season of celebration that begins on a Sunday and continues for three other Sundays leading up to Christmas.

The candles in the Advent wreath are lit every night during Advent. The first candle is lit the first week, then an additional candle for each successive week.

Early History Of Advent

“Advent signifies the start of the new church year and heralds the approach of Christmas. The precise origins of this tradition remain unclear, as historical records do not definitively pinpoint when Christians began observing the four Sundays leading up to Christmas. Historian and bishop Gregory of Tours (c. 539–594) suggested that Advent has been observed since the fourth century. Initially, it was when converts to Christianity readied themselves for baptism.

The word "Advent" is derived from the Latin word adventus, meaning "coming," which is a translation of the Greek word parousia.

Historical records show little connection between Advent and Christmas at the beginning.

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See also: Christmas Traditions