Advent in Hungary

Advent is the 4 week period before Christmas when the Church celebrates the first coming of Christ and anticipates his second coming. Advent can fall on any date between (and including) November 27 and December 3. This year (2010) Advent begins on November 28.
The word "advent," from the Latin adventus (Greek parousia), means "coming" or "arrival." The season of Advent is focused on the "coming" of Jesus Christ.


Advent Wreath History

The Advent wreath was likely first used as a Christian devotion in the Middle Ages. The design was borrowed from the customs of pre-Christian (primarily Germanic and Scandinavian) peoples, who used candles and greenery (often paired together) as symbols during the dark and dead winter, to represent light and life. The Advent Wreath is a circular evergreen wreath with four or five candles, three purple, one rose.

However, Catholics still use the traditional colours because they dually symbolize both royalty and penitence, two important Advent themes. A wreath may be hand-crafted of real or artificial materials, or may be purchased at craft and candle stores. The candles symbolize the light of Christ coming into the world. The evergreen symbolizes renewal in Christ, the kind of renewal hoped for by those before Christ's first coming, and the ultimate renewal we long for in Christ's second coming. The circular shape symbolizes the completeness of God. It is likely the symbolism came after the actual wreath was conceived of, but that does not detract from the power of the symbols.

The candle colors are derived from the traditional liturgical colors of Advent and Christmas, purple and white respectively. The rose color likely is derived from an old Catholic custom of wearing rose coloured vestments on the third Sunday in Advent and fourth Sunday, called Gaudete Sunday, i.e. "Rejoice" Sunday. Each candle is first lit on the appropriate Sunday of Advent, and then the candles may be lit each day as a part of the individual or family's daily prayers. Certain candles have been given various names.

Some systems name the candle as follows:
Candle 1. Hope (purple)
Candle 2. Peace (purple)
Candle 3. Joy (rose; the corresponding Sunday is "Gaudete Sunday")
Candle 4. Love (purple)