Advent: When does it start, how many days is it, why do we count down to Christmas and why do we have Advent calendars?

CHRISTMAS is less than a month away and it is nearly time to open your Advent calendars.
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Advent takes its name from the Latin word meaning 'coming' and marks the coming of Jesus into the world.

From calendars to wreaths, most of our Christmas traditions stem from advent and the anticipation for Christmas Day.

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Advent calendars are the perfect way to count down to Christmas and the tradition has developed over the years with alcohol, cheese and beauty calendars.

Advent wreaths and candles are also used to count down to Christmas Day.Advent wreaths and candles are also used to count down to Christmas Day.
Advent wreaths and candles are also used to count down to Christmas Day.
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Here is everything you need to know about advent and why we celebrate it:

When does Advent start?

Although your chocolate calendars (or other variations) start from December 1, advent itself begins on a different date.

The Christian event starts on the fourth Sunday before Christmas and this year that date fell on Sunday (November 28). So advent has already begun!

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Although the start date changes every year, the observance always lasts until December 24 (Christmas Eve) which is on a Thursday this year.

Why do we celebrate Advent?

For some, advent is closely associated with the daily chocolate treat inside advent calendars.

However advent is a Christmas tradition that dates back to well over a thousand years and the main reason we have calendars is to count down to the big day.

Many say that advent goes back to the Twelve Apostles of Jesus or that it was founded by Saint Peter but there is no exact date for when people started to observe Advent.

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In many Christian churches, Advent is a time of waiting and preparing to celebrate the nativity of Jesus at Christmas, as well as the return of Jesus at the second coming

Where do advent calendars come from?

Advent calendars now come in many different forms, from traditional chocolate ones to other variations such as alcohol, beauty, cheese and more.

Traditional Advent calendars show the manger scene and sometimes there is only a picture behind the windows.

As with many Christmas traditions, Advent calendars originate from Germany and date back to the early 1800s.

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German protestants would burn a candle each day or at the start of Advent, would mark 24 lines on their doors and take one off each day as they counted down to Christmas.

The first calendar that's close to what we use today, was made in 1851 and was made from wood.

The first printed calendars were invented in the early 1900s by German-born Gerhard Lang with windows that opened each day.

Chocolate calendars were not created until 1958, with Cadbury's releasing their first chocolate calendar in 1971.

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What other advent traditions are there?

Christian churches also have advent wreaths with five candles for each of the Sundays leading up to Christmas.

A final calendar is then lit on Christmas Day to mark the end of Advent.

Other practices also include putting up a Christmas tree or lighting a Christingle.

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Orthodox Christians often do not eat meat or dairy during Advent as well as wine, fish, or olive oil on certain days.

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