| Advent Sunday | |
|---|---|
 AnAdvent wreath with the first candle lit (on the right) | |
| Observed by | Western Christianity |
| Type | Christian |
| Celebrations | Season of Advent |
| Date | Fourth Sunday beforeChristmas Day |
| 2024 date | 1 December |
| 2025 date | 30 November |
| 2026 date | 29 November |
| 2027 date | 28 November |
| Frequency | annual |
| Related to | Christmas Day |
Advent Sunday, also called theFirst Sunday of Advent orFirst Advent Sunday, is the first day of theliturgical year in theWestern Christian Churches and the start of the Christian season ofAdvent;[1] a time of preparation for the celebration ofChrist's birth atChristmas and the return ofChrist at theSecond Coming. Advent Sunday is the fourth Sunday before Christmas.
On the First Sunday of Advent, Christians start lighting theirAdvent wreaths, and praying their Adventdaily devotional;[2] believers may also erect theirChrismon tree,[2] light aChristingle,[3] as well as engage in other ways of preparing for Christmas, such as setting upChristmas decorations,[4][5][6] a custom that is sometimes done liturgically through ahanging of the greens ceremony.[2][7]
InLutheran,Anglican, andMethodist churches the celebrant wears violet-coloured or bluevestments on this day, and the first violet or blueAdvent candle is lit in the worship service. In theChurch of Sweden, a Lutherannational Church, theliturgical colour is specifically white: the motivation is that the day is a joyful feast (the colour is changed to blue, the traditional colour for Advent in Scandinavia, or—if the church does not possess blue vestments—violet, after 6 p.m.).Zechariah 9:9–10 andMatthew 21:1–9 are always read in the service, and the symbolism of the day is that Christ enters the church.
Likewise, in theRoman Rite of theCatholic Church, Advent also "begins with First Vespers (Evening Prayer I) of the Sunday that falls on or closest to 30 November and it ends before First Vespers (Evening Prayer I) of Christmas".[8][9] The colour violet or purple is used in Advent, but where it is the practice the colour rose may be used onGaudete Sunday (Third Sunday of Advent).[10]
In theAmbrosian Rite and theMozarabic Rite, the First Sunday in Advent comes two weeks earlier than in the Roman, being on the Sunday afterSt. Martin's Day (11 November), six weeks before Christmas.[11]
Advent Sunday is the fourth Sunday beforeChristmas Day. This is equivalent to the Sunday nearest toSt. Andrew's Day, 30 November. It can fall on any date between 27 November and 3 December. When Christmas Day is a Monday, Advent Sunday will fall on its latest possible date. It is possible to compute the date of Advent Sunday by adding three days to the date of the last Thursday of November; it can also be computed as the Sunday before the first Thursday of December.
There are a variety or worship practices that enable a congregation to celebrate Advent: lighting an advent wreath, a hanging of the greens service, a Chrismon tree, and an Advent devotional booklet.
Many churches hold Christingle services during Advent. Children are given a Christingle.
Advent – The four weeks before Christmas are celebrated by counting down the days with an advent calendar, hanging up Christmas decorations and lightning an additional candle every Sunday on the four-candle advent wreath.
Christmas in Sweden starts with Advent, which is the await for the arrival of Jesus. The symbol for it is the Advent candlestick with four candles in it, and we light one more candle for each of the four Sundays before Christmas. Most people start putting up the Christmas decorations on the first of Advent.
Another popular activity is the "Hanging of the Greens," a service in which the sanctuary is decorated for Christmas.
ADVENT, SEASON OF. The period, of between three and four weeks from Advent Sunday (which is always the Sunday nearest to the fest of St. Andrew) to Christmas eve, is named by the Church the season of Advent.
