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The Christmas season begins four Sundays before Christmas Day with Advent. Advent means ‘coming’. Christians prepare to celebrate Jesus’ birth as a baby in the weeks that lead up to Christmas. They also remember that he will return as king and judge.

Many Advent customs involve counting the days down until Christmas begins. There are many traditions surrounding the Advent Wreath. The wreath is usually a circular garland made up of evergreen branches. The garland is a symbol of the eternal nature of God – without beginning or end. On the wreath, there are four candles with a fifth one in the centre.

The four candles can be blue or red, with the centre one being white or gold. In other traditions, there are three purple candles and one pink with the centre candle remaining white. The first candle is lit on Advent Sunday and then a new one is lit every Sunday leading up to Christmas. The centre candle is lit on Christmas day and is a symbol of Jesus – the Light of the World.

One tradition surrounding the meaning of the candles claims that the first purple candle represents God’s people. This is the candle of hope. The second candle reminds people of the Old Testament prophets who foretold the birth of the Messiah. This is the candle of peace. The third candle is a symbol of John the Baptist and is known as the candle of love. The fourth candle reminds us of Mary the mother of Jesus and that candle represents joy. Each of the four candles represents people who prepared for the coming of Jesus and therefore the lighting of the candles helps Christians to prepare themselves for the Christmas festival. It is also a time to prepare and look forward to the time when Jesus will one day return.

One December a mother cut a cake into 24 pieces and put them onto a piece of cardboard. Her little boy got to eat one piece each day until Christmas. That little boy grew up to be a printer. He always remembered what his mother had done, and in 1903 he produced the first Advent Calendar.

It had 24 little windows. Behind each window was a picture of something he had wished for as a child – mostly toys.

Download the Traidcraft Advent Calendar below. Each day of advent shows how we can pray for the world and help the people in some of the poorest countries in some practical ways. It also marks the days just before Jesus was born.

Click here to download the More Than Just A Paper Chain Advent Calendar

In this guest blog, Rachel explains what makes advent such a special time for her.

“Christmas seems to get earlier every year. This year, I noticed the Christmas range on the shelves of my local supermarket on November 1st. It was as if the manager had cleared away the Halloween bits and pieces and put the Chocolate Oranges where the pumpkins had been sitting only 24 hours before.

“Over the next couple of weeks, ‘Merry Christmas Everyone,’ by Shakin’ Stevens found its way onto every shop playlist. Christmas had truly arrived.

“When everything proclaims that Christmas is here already – even in November – it can be easy to miss the beauty of advent. Advent is all about the wait. It’s a season in its own right which begins four Sundays before Christmas Day, when Christians celebrate Jesus’ birth. Many people will have an advent calendar to help them count down the long days towards December 25th. And in churches up and down the country, hundreds of thousands of Christians take time to reflect on the long journey to Bethlehem, where Jesus Christ was born 2000 years ago.

“This journey began, not with a donkey or even an angel in Nazareth, but as far back as the garden of Eden. That was the time, soon after man’s arrival on earth, when things began to go wrong and the rule of sin took over. It was the time when it became clear that the world needed a Saviour, somebody who could put things back on track.

“The Old Testament shows this journey continuing with God’s people, who were called to live in a way that showed a watching world what true love and justice looked like. But no matter how they tried, they could not live up to the calling. So the ancient prophets proclaimed that God would send His own servant to show people the way, living a life that was right with God and with fellow humankind. So for hundreds of years, the people waited for this ‘Messiah,’ until one day, in a small town of no special importance, an angel appeared to a young unmarried woman and shared the world-shaking news that the Son of God was to be born through her.

“Waiting is often seen as a bad thing in our culture. We have microwaves and fast-food restaurants so that we can get a meal instantly. We download songs we like via our phones the same minute that we hear them. But in advent, the wait for Christmas is a good thing. It’s not just about looking forward to a big party and lots of presents to maximise your excitement levels.

As with Lent, it is a time to prepare the heart. Pressing ‘pause’ on a busy life to marvel again at this historic event that changed the course of the world, when God himself came to earth in human form – the incarnation – to ‘seek and save that which was lost.’ (Luke 19:10)

And remembering that this same God, who came to do wonders on earth 2000 years ago, wishes to do this today in those who wait for Him. In the words of my favourite carol, O Little Town of Bethlehem:

‘No ear may hear His coming, But in this world of sin, Where meek souls will receive him Still the dear Christ enters in.’

What is advent?

You might know the word ‘advent’ already. Many people have advent calendars in the weeks before Christmas, opening a door every day for 24 days and finding tasty chocolate behind each one!

But what does ‘advent’ mean?

It is the name of the special time before Christmas. It begins four Sundays before Christmas Day and ends on Christmas Eve.

‘Advent’ means ‘coming’.

During Advent, Christians get ready for Christmas when they think about Jesus coming to earth as a baby.

What symbols do you find in churches during advent?

Many churches and some schools have an advent wreath. The round garland is a symbol of God, without beginning or end. There are four candles on the outside of the wreath with a fifth one in the centre. The four candles can be blue or red, and the centre one is white or gold.

In some places, there are three purple candles and one pink on the outside, with a white one in the middle. The first candle is lit on the first Sunday of advent and then a new one is lit every Sunday leading up to Christmas. The middle candle is lit on Christmas Day. It is a symbol of Jesus, the Light of the World.

What do the candles on the Advent Wreath mean?

There are different beliefs about the meaning of the candles. However, a lot of Christians think of each of the four candles as representing special people from the Bible who looked forward to Jesus’ coming:

• The first purple candle stands for God’s people. This is the candle of hope.
• The second candle reminds people of the Old Testament prophets who looked forward to the birth of the Messiah, who God would send to save His people. This is the candle of peace.
• The third candle is a symbol of John the Baptist, a prophet from Jesus’ time who told people that God was coming soon. It is known as the candle of love.
• The fourth candle reminds Christians of Mary, the mother of Jesus. This candle represents joy.

Have you heard Jesus described as ‘the Light of the World’? Christians believe that God sent Jesus into the world so that people could enjoy a restored relationship with him.

Jesus himself said:

“I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” John 8:12

Jesus offers spiritual freedom to people who choose to follow him, they no longer need to be in spiritual darkness.

To celebrate Jesus’ impending birth, and the light that he brings to the world, some Christians make a Christingle for use during the time of Advent.

SYMBOLISM

The parts of the Christingle are symbolic of the event of Jesus entering the world, with all it means for humanity.

• The orange represents the world
• A candle in the centre of the orange represents Jesus Christ as the Light of the World
• A red ribbon wrapped around the orange represents the blood of Christ which would be shed thirty-three years later on the cross.
• Dried fruits and/or sweets on cocktail sticks pushed into the orange represent the fruits of the earth and the four seasons.

Watch the video to discover how to make a Christingle, then download the Make a Christingle worksheet to make one yourself.