Adventus redemptoris is Latin for “the coming of the Saviour,” the phrase from which we derive the term “Advent.”
In the Western churches, “advent” refers to the four-week period leading up to Christmas, though many churches celebrate advent on the four Sundays preceding Christmas day (rather than observing the “four weeks” before Christmas Day). Many Eastern Orthodox churches celebrate a forty-day advent which begins on November 15.
Traditionally, advent marked a period of prayer and fasting. The fast, often called “St. Martin’s Fast” (because it began on November 11, the feast day of St. Martin of Tours), was observed in a manner similar to the fasting which took place during Lent (the period leading up to Easter, the other great holy day of the Christian church). In some places, advent was also called ”Winter Lent,” or “St. Martin’s Lent.”
Modern churches still celebrate advent in a variety of ways, many of which vary by region, country and denomination. Among Western churches, the five candles of the advent wreath (four which symbolize different aspects of the nativity story, such as hope, love, joy and peace, while the fifth – the Christ candle – symbolizes the birth of Christ) will often appear on church altars around the beginning of December. The wreath and its symbols will form a part of the worship service through the advent season.
In many homes, advent calendars provide increasingly secular reminders of advent and the weeks leading up to Christmas. These calendars, which offer a small treat or surprise for each of the 24 days leading up to Christmas, are often used to “count down” the days between December 1 and December 25.
Linked to the Christmas Alliance homepage.
Tip of the horns, Wikipedia on Advent.
