Advent

Advent is a period of four Sundays before the Christmas Holidays. It is a time of joyful expectation of the Savior’s arrival, spiritual preparation for Christmas, time of meditation, and benevolence.

In Western traditions, Advent is also a time of calming down, because the life pace of our ancestors was in the rhythm of intensive work during the Spring and Fall, when taking care of all agricultural work was necessary. In the Winter, there was a period of rest, and chores. In today’s rushed times and consuming lifestyle, many forget about the significance of this period.

The advent wreath is a tool for a symbolic countdown of four weeks until Christmas. That is why the most frequent form is coniferous twigs with four candles. The number of candles may be different as it depends on the custom. Advent wreath can be seen without candles as well, but those are primarily used to decorate entrance doors.  .

Visit your loved ones, do a little bit of Christmas baking, and maybe even make an advent wreath. After that, get together on every Sunday and light one candle.