What is Advent? Where does the word come from
Photo by Milada Vigerova on Unsplash The word Advent originates in the Latin word for 'coming'. It describes the immediate period leading up to the birth of Christ. In the church calendar, this starts on the Sunday nearest to November 30 - November 28 in 2021. Unsuprisingly, Advent culminates on Christmas Day Church customs Photo by Grant Whitty on Unsplash The lighting of the Advent candle is the key custom from a Christian perspective. The wreath symbolizes the the journey from Adam until the awaited Second Coming - evergreens representing the eternal nature of God. The wreath holds four equally spaced candles. The three purple ones are lit on the penitential Sundays. The pink candle is for Gaudete, the joyful third Sunday in Advent. Another Advent custom is that members of the congregation each look after a statuette of the baby Jesus for twenty four hours. Carols The singing of 'carols' originated from pagan mid-winter festivals but developed into the