Advent traditions have a long history | Kulick

This past Sunday we entered the “Season of Hope,” known as Advent. For those of us who celebrate Christmas, Advent is a time of anticipation. The period of preparation for the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ. The Western churches of the world celebrate Advent from the Sunday nearest to Nov. 30 and of course then it ends on Dec. 24. This year, Advent is the shortest time as it ends on the Sunday of Christmas Eve.

For many Eastern churches, the Nativity Fast is a similar period of penance and preparation that occurs 40 days before Christmas. For Orthodox churches, Advent or the Nativity Fast begins on Nov. 28 and ends on Jan. 6. The Western thematic focus is on the proclamation and glorification of Jesus Christ and the second coming, while the Eastern churches focus on the proclamation and glorification of the Incarnation of God. (When Christ, the second of the trinity, became human.)

All of this is an oversimplification, but it does lead me into the season’s theme of Hope. The traditional color of Advent is blue or purple as adopted by many denominations, with the exception being the third Sunday of Advent where a rose-colored candle and vestments represent a joyous celebration as the mid-point of Advent.

Although no one is certain when the celebration of Advent was first celebrated, it is said to date back to at least 567 AD when monks were ordered to fast during December leading up to Christmas. During medieval and pre-medieval times in some parts of England, there was an early form of our Nativity scenes of today. These were called “advent images” or a “vessel cup.” They were a box, very often with a glass lid, that was covered with a white napkin containing two dolls, one representing Mary and the other the baby Jesus. They were decorated with ribbons and flower and sometimes also apples. These boxes were carried around from door-to-door and it was thought very unlucky if you had not seen one before Christmas Eve. Perhaps that is why people paid the box carriers a halfpenny to see the box!

There are a number of ways that Advent’s time to Christmas is counted down. I just mailed one to may son and his family, an Advent calendar. There are a variety of calendars that are used in different countries. Most common in the United Kingdom and the United States are those where there are little window or doors that are opened each day in December until the 24th or 25th. Sometimes there is a little picture or in some cases a small treat that is revealed when the date is opened.

During the 19th century, German protestant Christians would count down the days to Christmas by marking 24 chalk lines on a door and rubbing one off every day in December. There is a debate on when the paper calendar first began to appear. Early on, people made their own calendars during the 1850s. It was most likely during the early 1900s when printed and mass-produced calendars appeared.

Of interest: Aldi releases 2023 Advent calendars featuring wine, beer, cheese

The most famous and popular calendar maker of the printed calendar was a German printer named Gerhard Lang. It consisted of a “back” piece with numbers 1 through 24 printed on it and then a separate sheet with pictures which could be cut out and the numbers were stuck on the opening. The first calendars with “doors” were produced in the 1920s in Germany. However, during World War II, the production of calendars was halted due to cardboard shortages.

Today we find many different types of calendars available, even those that are used to promote a variety of products. However, the meaning and the anticipation of the season is what makes the opening of the next day so special. Of all years, this year is one where the Season of Hope is most revered and valued. Let the countdown and wait begin!

Debbie Kulick is an EMT who writes a weekly news column for the Pocono Record.

This article originally appeared on Pocono Record: Advent a time of anticipation leading up to Christmas | Kulick