The ADVENT Season:

Advent is the liturgical season that precedes and prepares for Christmas. It is a
season of hope and of longing, of joyful expectation and of peaceful preparation.
Many symbols and traditions are associated with Advent, especially the Advent
Wreath with its four colored candles (three purple and one pink), but also Advent
calendars, special Advent music, food, processions, and other traditions that may
vary from one culture or region to the next. Here are a few interesting things to
know about Advent:

When and how long is Advent?

o For most Christians, the Advent Season always begins four Sundays
before Christmas; so it is rarely four full weeks long, but only between
three and four weeks, depending on what weekday Dec. 25 happens to
be in a certain year. (click here for more specifics on the calendar)
o
o
o
o
o

What does the word "Advent" mean?

o When capitalized, "Advent" usually refers to "the coming of Christ into
the world" or to "the liturgical period preceding Christmas"; it may also
refer to the "Second Coming" of Christ (the "Advent of our Lord").
o
o
o

The First Sunday of Advent, which also marks the beginning of the new liturgical year for the
Church, could be as early as Nov. 27 or as late as Dec. 3.
The Third Sunday of Advent is traditionally called "Gaudete Sunday" (from Latin, meaning
"Rejoice!), because the "Entrance Antiphon" of this Sunday's Mass is taken from Paul's letter to
the Philippians: "Rejoice in the Lord always; again I say,rejoice! The Lord is near." (Phil 4:4+5b)
The Fourth Sunday of Advent could be as early as Dec. 18, a full week before Christmas (as in
2005 and 2011), or as late as Dec. 24, making it the same day as "Christmas Eve" (as in 2006 or
2017).
Advent technically ends of the afternoon of Dec. 24, since that evening, Christmas Eve, begins
the Christmas Season.
Most Eastern Orthodox and other Eastern Christian Churches have a "Nativity Fast" (now often
called "Advent Fast"), which usually lasts forty days before Christmas; it may begin on Nov. 15
(for those Churches that celebrate Christmas on Dec. 25), or in late November (for those
Churches that celebrate Christmas on Jan. 7 or 8).

In secular English, "advent" (not capitalized) may refer to any "coming" or "arrival," especially
of something so important that it radically changed a whole culture (e.g., "The advent of
electricity" or "The advent of the computer age").
The word is derived from the Latin adventus ("arrival, approach"), made up of the preposition ad("to, towards"), the verbal root ven- (from venire, "to come"), and the suffix -tus (indicating
verbal action).
The word is very similar in many other European languages: Advent, Advento, Avent, Avvento,
Adviento, etc.

What are the traditional colors of Advent?

o In the Roman Catholic Church, the official liturgical color for most of
the Season of Advent is violet. Only on the Third Sunday of Advent is
a rose (pink) colored candle lit, as a symbol of joy; the priest may also
wear rose vestments on this Sunday.
o

Many Anglicans and some Protestant Churches use blue instead of violet throughout Advent,
although they may also use rose/pink on the Third Sunday.

What is an Advent Wreath?

o Many churches and families prominently
display an evergreen wreath with four
candles throughout the Advent Season.
o

o
o

o
o

Other church decorations (altar cloths, banners, etc.) will often have combinations of violet, pink,
and blue throughout the season. Liturgically-minded churches will avoid greens and reds (the
secular Christmas colors), and will wait until the Christmas season to use decorations with white,
silver, and gold colors.

It is traditionally made of some type or mixture of

evergreens (fir, spruce, juniper, holly, etc.), symbolizing
the continuation of life in the middle of the cold and
dark winter (in the northerly latitudes, at least).
Advent wreaths traditionally include three
purple/violet candles and one pink/rose-colored candle,
which are arranged evenly around the wreath, although
some people use four violet or four white candles.
Only one purple candle is lit during the first week, two
in the second week, three (incl. the pink one) in the
third week, and all four during the fourth week of
Advent; the gradually increasing light symbolizes the
approach of Christmas, the birth of Jesus, the light of
the world.
Since the rose candle is not lit until the Third Sunday of Advent, it is best to start on the First
Sunday of Advent lighting the purple candle located directly opposite the pink one, and then to
continue clockwise around the wreath in the following weeks. Thus, one could go in the
following orders: 1-right, 2-front, 3-left (rose), 4-back; or 1-front right, 2-front left, 3-back left
(rose), and 4-back right.
In many churches, a large wreath is ritually blessed at the beginning of the first liturgy on the
First Sunday of Advent. Families can also use a smaller Advent wreath in their homes, which
they themselves can bless (click here for some Advent Wreath Blessings).
Families can gather around the wreath daily for some brief Advent prayers and readings,
especially at the time of the evening meal, lighting the appropriate number of candles for each
week. Click here for some Advent Family Prayers; or see the Blessing Rituals for Advent, from
the Shorter Book of Blessings.
Some traditions assign specific symbolism to each of the candles:
1) The Prophet's Candle, symbolizing Hope; 2) The Bethlehem Candle, symbolizing Faith;
3) The Shepherd's Candle, symbolizing Joy; 4) The Angel's Candle, symbolizing Peace.
Some churches and families add a fifth candle (white) in the middle of the wreath for Christmas
Eve or Day; others continue using the same wreath throughout the Christmas Season, replacing
the colored Advent candles with fresh candles that are white or gold, symbolizing the arrival of
Christ, the light of the world.
Click here for an explanation of the History of the Advent Wreath, by Fr. William Saunders.

What are the liturgical readings for the Sundays of Advent?

Each of the four Sundays of Advent has its own special readings and
characteristics:
o
o
o
o

First Sunday of Advent - The readings look forward to the "End Times" and the coming of the
"Day of the Lord" or the "Messianic Age"; the Gospel is an excerpt from the Apocalyptic
Discourse of Jesus in one of the Synoptic Gospels.
Second Sunday of Advent - The Gospel readings focus on the preaching and ministry of John
the Baptist as the forerunner of Jesus, the one who came to "Prepare the Way of the Lord."
Third Sunday of Advent - The Gospel readings continue to focus on John the Baptist, while the
first and second readings convey the joy that Christians feel with the increasing closeness of the
incarnation and the world's salvation.
Fourth Sunday of Advent - The Gospels tell of the events that immediately preceded the birth
of Jesus, including the dreams and visions of Joseph and Mary of Nazareth.

What are the liturgical readings for the Weekdays of Advent?

There are actually two sets of weekday readings for the Advent season:
o
o
o

See the website of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) for the full texts of these
liturgical readings.

Readings for the weekdays in the first three weeks, but only up to Dec. 16: the Gospel readings
are excerpts from various chapters in Matthew and Luke; the first readings are mostly from the
book of the prophet Isaiah.
Readings for the weekdays from Dec. 17 to Dec. 24: the Gospel readings cover all of Matthew
1 and Luke 1, sequentially; the first readings are selected thematically from various prophetic
books of the Old Testament.
The weekdays from Dec. 17 to Dec. 24 also make use of the "O Antiphons," not only during
Evening Prayer in the Liturgy of the Hours, but also in the Alleluia verse before the Gospel at
Mass.

What other liturgical celebrations can occur during the Season of

Advent?
Several "Feasts" and "Memorials" of saints can be celebrated on the weekends
of Advent, but most of them are omitted if the usual date happens to fall on a
Sunday in a particular year, since these celebrations are considered less
important than the Sundays of Advent. (click here for details)
o Nov. 30 - Feast of St. Andrew, the Apostle - may occur just before or during the
o

first week of Advent, depending on the year.

Dec. 6 - St. Nicholas - although the day is only an "optional memorial" on the Roman
liturgical calendar, this popular saint gave rise to the gift-giving tradition now associated with
"Santa Claus"; in certain countries, Dec. 6 is still a day when parents give simple gifts (often fruit
or nuts) to their children.

Dec. 8 - Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin

Mary - a "Holy Day of Obligation" in the United States; if Dec. 8 falls on a Sunday,
this Solemnity is transferred to Monday, Dec. 9.

Dec. 12 - Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe - only ranked as a "Memorial" in

much of the world, but considered an important "Feast" in the United States and many Latino
countries.

The "Memorials" of several other saints can be celebrated during

Advent, but only if they fall on a weekday, not on Sunday:
St. Francis Xavier (Dec. 3), St. Ambrose (Dec. 7), St. Lucy (Dec. 13), St. John of the Cross (Dec.
14), and a few other "optional memorials" (St. John of Damascus, St. Nicholas, St. Juan Diego, St.
Damasus I, St. Peter Canisius, and St. John of Kanty).

Lent
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This article is about Lent in Western Christianity. For Lent in Orthodox Christianity, see Great Lent.
For other uses, see Lent (disambiguation).

Liturgical year

Western

Advent

Christmastide
Ordinary Time
Septuagesima/Pre-Lent/Shrovetide
Lent
Holy Week
Paschal Triduum
Eastertide
Pentecost
Ordinary Time
Eastern

Nativity Fast
Christmastide
Ordinary Time
Septuagesima/Pre-Great Lent
Great Lent
Eastertide
Apostles' Fast
Ordinary Time

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Lent (Latin: Quadragesima - English: Fortieth) is a solemn religious observance in the liturgical
calendar of many Christian denominations that begins on Ash Wednesday and covers a period of
approximately six weeks before Easter Day. The traditional purpose of Lent is the preparation of the
believer through prayer, penance, repentance of sins, almsgiving, atonement and self-denial. This
event, along with its pious customs are observed by Christians in
the Anglican, Reformed, Lutheran, Methodist, and Roman Catholic traditions.[1][2][3] Today,
some Anabaptist and evangelical churches also observe the Lenten season.[4][5]
Its institutional purpose is heightened in the annual commemoration of Holy Week, marking the
death, burial and resurrection of Jesus, which recalls the tradition and events of the New
Testament beginning on Friday of Sorrows, further climaxing on Jesus' crucifixion on Good Friday,
which ultimately culminates in the joyful celebration on Easter Sunday of the Resurrection of Jesus
Christ. During Lent, many of the faithful commit to fasting or giving up certain types of luxuries as a
form of penitence. Many Christians also add a Lenten spiritual discipline, such as reading a daily
devotional, to draw themselves near to God.[6] The Stations of the Cross, a devotional
commemoration of Christ's carrying the Cross and of his execution, are often observed.
Many Roman Catholic and some Protestant churches remove flowers from their altars,
while crucifixes, religious statues, and other elaborate religious symbols are often veiled in violet
fabrics in solemn observance of the event. Throughout Christendom, some adherents mark the
season with the traditional abstention from the consumption of meat, most notably among Roman
Catholics.[7]

Lent is traditionally described as lasting for forty days, in commemoration of the forty days which,
according to the Gospels of Matthew,Mark and Luke, Jesus spent, before beginning his public
ministry, fasting in the desert, where he endured temptation by the Devil.[8][9] In most of the West, it
begins on Ash Wednesday. Different Christian denominations calculate its length differently. On this
see Duration, below.

The celebration of the Easter Vigil is the beginning of the season of Easter.
The Vigil is the Christian feast par excellence, the feast of new birth, new
beginnings, salvation renewed, and humanity restored to the Lord. While the
Vigil marks the end of the paschal fast, the end of the celebration of Holy
Week, and the end of repentance and conversion for which Lent prepared the
community, it is much more a beginning. It is the beginning of a new season
of grace and a time of joy and thanksgiving, for Easter is not one day or one
solemnityit is a fifty day celebration, and the fifty days from Easter Sunday
to Pentecost Sunday together comprise what the General Instruction terms
"the great Sunday".
DIRECTIONS

From apostolic times the feasts of Easter and Pentecost were primary, and
the paschal mystery was the first celebration to have both a time before the
feast of preparation and a time afterwards for the extension and completing
the celebration. In the new Sacramentary and Lectionary the Sundays
following Easter are no longer termed "after" for they are "of" Easter, since
they do not follow a solemnity, but they are to be taken as a unity to form
one season of solemnity and exaltation at the triumph of Jesus over sin and
death.
In the former understanding of the season the feast of the Pentecost was set
off because it had its own octave. In the reformed calendar this situation is
remedied for the solemnity of the Ascension does not end the season of
Easter; it is one special day within an entire special season. The Easter candle
is no longer extinguished on the Ascension for it should remain in prominence
in the sanctuary until Pentecost and then be placed in the baptistry. It can be
used at funerals and at the sacraments of baptism and confirmation. The
feast of Pentecost now concludes the Easter season and the week between
Ascension and Pentecost should be a time of preparation and expectation for
the coming of the Spirit.

The major principle of the calendar reform called for at the Vatican Council
that the paschal mystery be the center of the Christian yearis made obvious
in the new Sacramentary because of the emphasis on Easter as the great
feast of fifty days.
The Easter candle, lighted for the first time from the new fire of the Easter
Vigil, is placed in a prominent place in the sanctuary between Easter and
Pentecost and should be lighted for all liturgical services in this season and
should be incensed whenever incense is used in the fifty days.
The color of the vesture for the season is white, and the cloth or frontal for
the altar should be white as well. Liturgical hangings or banners should be
made of white and contrasting colors and should reflect the season of new
life, fulfillment, rejoicing and joy at the season.
All penitential elements in the eucharist should be eliminated in this season of
sung Alleluias, water, candles and lights.

Ordinary Time refers to a season of the Christian liturgical calendar, particularly the calendar of the
ordinary form of the Roman rite of theCatholic Church, although some other churches in Western
Christianity also use the term. In Latin, the name of this season is Tempus per annum (literally time
during the year).
Ordinary Time is celebrated in two segments: from the Monday following the Baptism of Our Lord up to
Ash Wednesday; and from Pentecost Monday to the First Sunday of Advent. This makes it the largest
season of the Liturgical Year.[1]
Since 1970 in the ordinary form of the Roman rite in the Catholic Church, Ordinary Time comprises two
periods: one beginning on the day after the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord (the end of the Christmas
season) and ending on the day before Ash Wednesday, the other beginning on the Monday
after Pentecost (the conclusion of Eastertide) and continuing until the Saturday before Advent
Sunday (The First Sunday of Advent).
The Church numbers the weeks of Ordinary Time. Several Sundays bear the name of feasts or
solemnities celebrated on those days, including Trinity Sunday and the Feast of Christ the King.
The liturgical color normally assigned to Ordinary Time is green.

Christmas or Christmas Day (Old English: Crstesmsse, meaning "Christ's Mass") is an annual
religious and cultural holiday commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ,[6][7] celebrated generally

on December 25[4][8][9] by billions of people around the world.[2][10][11] A feast central to the Christian liturgical
year, it closes the Advent season and initiates thetwelve days of Christmastide, which ends after
the twelfth night.[12] Christmas is a civil holiday in many of the world's nations,[13][14][15] is celebrated culturally
by an increasing number of non-Christians,[1][16][17] and is an integral part of theChristmas and holiday
season.
While the birth year of Jesus is estimated among modern historians to have been between 7 and 2 BC,
the exact month and day of his birth are unknown.[18][19] His birth is mentioned in two of the four canonical
gospels. By the early-to-mid 4th century, the Western Christian Church had placed Christmas on
December 25,[20] a date later adopted in the East,[21][22] although some churches celebrate on the December
25 of the older Julian calendar, which currently corresponds to January 7 in the modern-day Gregorian
calendar. The date of Christmas may have initially been chosen to correspond with the day exactly nine
months after early Christians believed Jesus to have been conceived,[23] or with one or more ancient
polytheistic festivals that occurred near southern solstice (i.e., the Roman winter solstice); a
further solarconnection has been suggested because of a biblical verse[a] identifying Jesus as the "Sun of
righteousness".[23][24][25][26][27]
The celebratory customs associated in various countries with Christmas have a mix of pagan, preChristian, Christian, andsecular themes and origins.[28] Popular modern customs of the holiday include gift
giving, Christmas music and caroling, an exchange of Christmas cards, church celebrations, a special
meal, and the display of various Christmas decorations, including Christmas trees, Christmas
lights, nativity scenes, garlands, wreaths, mistletoe, and holly. In addition, several closely related and
often interchangeable figures, known as Santa Claus, Father Christmas, Saint Nicholas, andChristkind,
are associated with bringing gifts to children during the Christmas season and have their own body
oftraditions and lore.[29] Because gift-giving and many other aspects of the Christmas festival involve
heightened economic activity among both Christians and non-Christians, the holiday has become a
significant event and a key sales period for retailers and businesses. The economic impact of Christmas
is a factor that has grown steadily over the past few centuries in many regions of the world.