Advent is the time period from December 1st to December 24th that identifies the days and weeks that come before Christmas. An advent calendar or wreath is used to track the season, which represents "coming" as a derivative of the Latin word "adventus." This time period celebrates the period leading up to the birth of Christ.
One of the most common ways to prepare for Advent is to signify the progression of the holiday with an Advent calendar. There are a number of different ways advent calendars can be created.
The typical way the calendar is made is by the use of advent candles. There are 24 candles used to signify the 24 days that precede Christmas, from December 1st to December 24th. When a new day arrives, the family gathers around the advent calendar and lights a candle to signify the progression of the Advent season.
Advent calendars come in all shapes and sizes. They also come in a wide variety of formats and designs. One common design of an Advent calendar is in the form of a Christmas tree. This design has 24 candles attached to branches that make up the tree and are lit each day.
Another common form of an advent calendar is in the form of a candy holder. The calendar consists of 24 pockets each filled with small amounts of candy or chocolate. When one of the days of advent arrives, a child would take the candy out of the candy holder in the calendar and eat it.
You can also track the holiday season by using an advent wreath. An advent wreath includes 4 candles to track the weeks of advent. You light a candle on each week of Advent to track the progression of the holiday season.
There are many ways that Advent is celebrated by the religious community. Special services are held where the congregants gather together for prayer, worship and to be edified and encouraged. The religious leader may specifically focus on a message of encouragement to remind the congregation of the coming Christmas holiday and why we celebrate the birth of Christ. The church may also sing special hymns and spiritual songs that celebrate and promote the birth of Christ as well.
At home, there are a number of Advent activities that can be conducted together as a family. For example, some families have their kids gather together and actually create their own advent calendar or wreath to celebrate the holiday season. Other families have their kids color in special advent themed coloring books that commemorate the holiday season.
Advent is a major holiday for millions of Christians worldwide. There are a number of ways you can choose to celebrate it individually. We have provided you with some suggestions and guidelines but you really have the freedom to celebrate the holiday how you see fit. In fact, based on our ideas you might even come up with something new and unique that we never even thought of before.
Kerry Beck offers free advent calendars with daily Christmas projects to prepare your family for Christmas. Your family will learn more about Christmas activities with many of the daily projects.
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