"And what I say to you I say to all: Keep awake" (Mark 13:37)
Beginnings
Advent originated in the 4th century as a period during which converts prepared
themselves for baptism through instruction, prayer, fasting, and reflection,
much like Lent. The length of Advent varied from three days to six weeks -- six
weeks being approximately forty days, the length of time that Jesus spent
in the wilderness.
In the 6th century, Advent was moved to the four weeks before Christmas Day.
A special liturgy was added. During the 9th and 10th centuries, Advent's meaning
broadened to include the expectation of the Second Coming of Christ. (See
Matthew 24,25; Mark 13; Luke 12,17,21; John 14,16.)
Hanging
of the Greens
In some traditions, advent begins with the hanging of the greens, decoration
of the church with evergreen wreaths, boughs, or trees that help to symbolize
the new life brought through Jesus. Some churches
offer a special service, in which the church is decorated
and the Advent wreath put in place.
The
Advent Wreath
Advent wreaths originated with folk practices. Europeans gathered evergreens
and lighted fires during winter months as signs of hope of a coming spring.
Early Christians began to encorporate these traditions; eventually using Advent
wreaths to symbolize the hope we have Christ.
Advent wreaths consist
of four candles placed in a circle of evergreens. Three outer candles are
violet, one is rose. The white center candle is called the Christ Candle,
and is traditionally lighted on Christmas Eve or Day.
The circle of the wreath
reminds us of God's eternity and complete mercy, which has no beginning or
end. The green of the wreath speaks of the hope that we have in God, the hope
of newness, of renewal, of eternal life.
Candles symbolize the
light of God coming into the world through the birth of Jesus. The four outer
candles represent the period of waiting during the four Sundays of Advent,
which themselves symbolize the four centuries of waiting between the prophet
Malachi and the birth of Christ. The rose candle, lit during the 3rd week,
symbolizes joy.
The central location of
the Christ Candle reminds us that the incarnation is the heart of the season,
giving light to the world.
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