7 Things to Know About Advent

The other morning, to occupy myself during the mind-numbing task of lunch packing, I tuned my SiriusXM app to The Catholic Channel and then, EWTN, because my usual morning program was taking a break. As a “Cradle Catholic,” I was surprised to hear on “Morning Glory” that it is not proper to decorate for Christmas until Christmas Eve, rather than right after Thanksgiving, the way we, and many others, do.

So, I did a little investigation into the subject. Here are seven things to know about Advent (from a Catholic perspective).

1. The word, advent, is from the Latin, “coming.”

2. Advent is a period of preparation and anticipation before the celebration of the birth of Jesus on December 25. It spans four Sundays, beginning with the Sunday closest to the feast of St. Andrew the Apostle (Nov. 30).

3. Advent marks the beginning of the liturgical calendar for Roman Catholics.

4. Similar to Lent, Advent is a period of prayer, penance, and fasting, however, there are no set requirements for laity.

5. The purple color of Advent is associated with penance.

6. The color of the third Sunday of Advent is rose, in anticipatory celebration.

7. Traditionally, Catholics do not put up their Christmas trees until after Noon on Christmas Eve. The reason for this is that Advent is a period of waiting.

So there you have it: Seven things to know about Advent. I asked my Dad if he knew we weren’t supposed to decorate until Christmas Eve, and he had never heard of this rule either. Our tree is already up and decorated, so maybe I’ll try not to illuminate it as often until Christmas Eve . . .

Ann Silverthorn

Note: This post was updated on 12/19/2016, to add EWTN and Morning Glory.