Advent. The first sign of the festive spirit?

Now we’ve reached December, are you in the Christmas spirit yet? Not even The Grinch could deny that the festive season is well and truly upon us, and it’s now just over three weeks until the big day. The 1^st of December has always been the start of advent, but we’re sure many of you aren’t exactly sure what advent is, nor how it began…

Advent – The word.
The word ‘advent’ derives from the Latin word adventus, meaning ‘coming’. This is a translation of the Greek word Parousia, commonly used to refer to the Second Coming of Christ.
What and when is Advent?
The calendar may begin on the 1^st of December, but the actual occasion begins on the fourth Sunday before Christmas and runs up until the last Sunday before Christmas. Historically, Advent is the build-up to the arrival of the baby Jesus on the 25^th and is a season observed in many Christian churches.
A history.
Despite what the younger generation perhaps think, it’s not just about eating chocolate. Advent is a religious occasion, celebrated by Christians. Back in the 4^th and 5^th century, it was a period of preparation for the baptism of new Christians at the January feast of Epiphany. During this season of preparation, there was actually little connection between that of Advent and Christmas, and Christians would spend 40 days in penance, prayer and fasting.
The Advent calendar.
Gerhard Lang is widely considered to be the creator of the first printed advent calendar in the early 1900’s. As explained, the calendar does not follow the correct Advent period. Instead, they begin on December 1^st and end on the 24th, though there have been some cases of calendars running up until the 25^th.
You can still find printed calendars today, whereby you open the door to find pictures rather than items. The most popular ones today are chocolate calendars and the likes of Cadbury, Thornton’s and Lindt have some enticing options.
There’s also some alternative calendars on display, and 2017 has certainly seen some crazy ones hit the shelves. You can now buy calendars with toys, Yankee candles, alcoholic drinks and even treats for your pets inside!
Which one have you chosen this year?
Christmas is on its way!
Whether you’ve started your Christmas shopping or not, the 25^th is nearly upon us.
Over the next three weeks we will be distributing quite a few festive blogs to help get you into the Christmas spirit, so keep an eye out for them.