Advent

Advent (from the Latin Adventus, implicitly coupled with Redemptoris, "the coming of the Saviour") is a holy season of the Christian church, the period of expectant waiting and preparation for the celebration of the Nativity of Christ, also known as the season of Christmas. more...

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It is the beginning of the Western Christian year and commences on Advent Sunday. (The Eastern churches begin the year on 1 September.)

Adventus is the Latin word for "coming", and is the exact Latin equivalent for the Greek word parousia, commonly used in reference to the Second Coming. Thus the season of Advent serves a dual reminder of the original waiting that was done by the Hebrews for the birth of their Messiah as well as the waiting that Christians today endure as they await the second coming of Jesus the Christ.

Tradition

The theme of readings and teachings during advent is often to prepare for the Second Coming while commemorating the First Coming of Christ at Christmas. With the view of directing the thoughts of Christians to the first coming of Jesus Christ as Saviour, and to his second coming as Judge, special lessons are prescribed for each of the four Sundays in Advent. Also, on the four Sundays of Advent, the Church encourages sermons on the Four Last Things: Death, Judgment, Heaven, and Hell.

Candles and calendars

Advent in the Christian sense refers to the four weeks before Christmas. The four Sundays of Advent are often traditionally celebrated with four candles with one to be lit each Sunday. Each candle has a specific meaning associated with different aspects of the Advent story. The first one almost always symbolizes expectant hope and is sometimes associated with prophecy. The others are organized around characters or themes as a way to unfold the story and direct attention to the celebrations and worship in the season, such as Peace, Love, Joy. The third (and sometimes fourth) is generally symbolic of Joy at the imminence of the coming of Christ. A fifth, white or gold, candle -- called a "Christ Candle" -- is often lit in the center on Christmas Eve and/or Christmas Day to signify Christ's birth.

The colour scheme and order of symbolic associations for the candles is largely arbitrary but several traditions have adopted them for the meaning they carry. For Catholics and Protestants alike, the color of the first, second and fourth candles are purple (or blue), but the third is often rose-colored, to joyfully represent Gaudete Sunday with a less sombre liturgy. A few non-liturgical Christians, for whom different coloured candles are unavailable, use red candles for all four Sundays. A common way of marking the days of this advent, particularly among children who believe in Santa Claus, is an Advent Calendar. These can carry religious messages, seasonal pictures or little chocolate shapes. Another home-based craft made for advent is the Advent wreath that uses the candles described above as well as a circular wreath that symbolizes eternity.

Read more at Wikipedia.org