Dates and Origins of Advent Sunday

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Advent Sunday Dates in 2024, 2025 and 2026

Advent Sunday is celebrated at the following dates:

• Sunday, December 1, 2024
• Sunday, November 30, 2025
• Sunday, November 29, 2026

Advent Sunday is the first Sunday of the liturgical year. It is also the beginning of the season of advent. Liturgical colors vary widely for this holiday. Advent Sunday is also celebrated in the Roman Catholic church.

Origin

Advent is the season before Christmas that begins on the Sunday closest to November 30¹. Advent Sunday is the first Sunday of this season¹. Because the dates of the first Sunday of advent can change, so does the length of the advent season². Advent has likely been observed since the fourth century and in the middle ages was seen as preparation for the second coming of Christ¹. Since ancient times, northern Europeans have made wreaths of evergreen and lit candles during the darkest time of the year¹. Eventually Eastern European Christians adopted this practice and by the sixteenth century wreaths were being made at this time of year much lie they are today¹.

Celebration

Advent season is a time of religious preparation for Christmas. Wreaths are typically made during this time that are decorated with candles². Four candles are arranged in these wreaths, with one being lit on the first Sunday of Advent. Typically, these candles include three purple and one rose, though some people include a fifth white candle¹. Because the celebration of advent is not according to strict doctrine, many variations can exist. For example, some people use the color blue instead of purple to represent the color of the sky before the break of dawn³.

Advent calendars are another popular part of the Advent season. Originating in Germany around the late 1800s, many advent calendars carry little religious significance and are meant as a fun way to count down the days until Christmas³. For four weeks, each day is represented by a door that opens to reveal an image. These calendars can contain either biblical images or picture of celebrities, candies and teddy bears³.