The document discusses the meaning and traditions of Advent. Advent begins four Sundays before Christmas and marks the start of the liturgical year. It is a time of preparation to celebrate Christ's birth and anticipate his second coming. The four candles of the Advent wreath symbolize the four weeks of Advent and the progression toward Christmas. The colors of the candles (purple and rose) also carry symbolic meanings of repentance, prayer, and joy during this season of anticipation.

2. Advent
The word Advent comes
from the Latin word
“adventus” and means
"coming"
It is associated with the
four weeks of
preparation before
Christmas.
Advent always has four
Sundays, beginning on
the Sunday nearest the
feast of St. Andrew the
Apostle, (November 30)

3. How Do We Know When Advent
Begins
• There are two answers.
• The Sunday closest to the
feast day of St. Andrew
the Apostle or
• Find Christmas and count
backwards four Sundays.
• If Christmas Eve is a
Sunday, it is counted as
the fourth Sunday of
Advent, with Christmas
Eve beginning at
sundown.

4. The Word Advent
• The word Advent means
"coming" or "arrival."
• The focus of the entire
season is the celebration
of the birth of Jesus on
His First Advent, and
• The anticipation of the
return of Christ the King
in His Second Advent.

5. Advent Scriptures
• Scripture readings for
Advent will reflect an
emphasis on the
Second Advent, they
including themes of :
• accountability for
faithfulness at His
coming,
• judgment on sin, and
• the hope of eternal
life.

6. Getting Ready
Advent continues until
December 24. It blends
together both a joyful
and penitential spirit,
It’s similar to Lent, a
liturgical theme of
preparation for the
Second and Final
Coming of the Lord,
called the Parousia, and
A joyful theme of getting
ready for the Bethlehem
event.

7. Advent & Easter
• Since the 900s
Advent has been
considered the
beginning of the
Church year.
• This does not mean
that Advent is the
most important time
of the year.
• Easter has always
had this honor.
• The traditional color
of Advent is purple
or violet which
symbolizes the
penitential spirit.
• Purple is also a
symbol of royalty.
• That color is used
because we are
waiting for the
arrival of a king,
Jesus.

8. Where Did The Advent Wreath
Come From?
• The origins are
uncertain.
• There is evidence of
pre-Christian
Germanic peoples
using wreathes with
lit candles during the
cold and dark
December days as a
sign of hope in the
future warm and
extended-sunlight
days of Spring.

9. Who Used It?
• By the Middle Ages, the Christians adapted
this tradition and used Advent wreaths as
part of their spiritual preparation for
Christmas.
• After all, Christ is “the Light that came into
the world” to dispel the darkness of sin and
to radiate the truth and love of God (cf.
John 3:19-21).
• By 1600, both Catholics and Lutherans had
more formal practices surrounding the
Advent wreath.

10. What’s the Symbolism
found in the Wreath?
• Evergreens, signifying continuous life
• The laurel (A Mediterranean evergreen
tree) signifies victory over persecution
and suffering
• Pine, and holly, are signs of
immortality
• Cedar is a sign of strength and healing
• Holly’s prickly leaves remind us of the
crown of thorns

11. The Circle
• The circle of the wreath,
symbolizes no beginning or end,
and the eternity of God,
• the immortality of the soul, and
• the everlasting life found in Christ.
• Any pine cones, nuts, or seedpods
used to decorate the wreath also
symbolize life and the resurrection.

12. The Four Candles
• The four candles
represent the four
weeks of Advent.
• The tradition is that
each week
represents one
thousand years,
• The 4,000 years
from Adam and Eve
until the birth of
the Savior.

13. Three Purple Candles
• The purple candles symbolize
the prayer, penance, and
goods works undertaken at
this time.
• The rose candle is lit on the
third Sunday
• This is a Sunday of rejoicing,
because the faithful have
arrived at the midpoint of
Advent, when their
preparation is now half over
and they are close to
Christmas.

14. Lighting of the Candles
• The progressive
lighting of the
candles symbolizes
the expectation and
hope surrounding
our Lord’s first
coming into the
world and
• The anticipation of
His second coming to
judge the living and
the dead.

15. A White Candle?
• Some modern
day adaptations
include a white
candle placed in
the middle of the
wreath.
• This candle
represents Christ
and is lit on
Christmas Eve.

16. Color and Symbolism
• First week =
Purple is a symbol
meaning Hope.
• Second week =
Purple symbolizes
Love.
• Third week = The
rose color means
Joy.
• The fourth candle
which is Purple
means Peace.
• The optional white
candle symbolizes
Jesus’ birth on
Christmas Day.