What Is Advent? Meaning, Dates, and How to Observe It
Advent is the season of waiting before Christmas — roughly four weeks in which Christians prepare to celebrate the birth of Jesus and remember that they are still waiting for His return. The word comes from the Latin adventus, "coming" or "arrival."
When Is Advent?
In Western churches (Catholic and most Protestant), Advent begins on the fourth Sunday before Christmas — the Sunday closest to November 30 — and ends on Christmas Eve. That means it starts on a slightly different date each year, always between November 27 and December 3. In 2026, Advent begins on Sunday, November 29 and runs through Thursday, December 24. Orthodox churches keep the season differently: a Nativity Fast of forty days beginning November 15.
Where Advent Comes From
Christians have kept a season of preparation before Christmas since at least the fifth century. It began as a time of fasting and prayer, and over the centuries took on the shape it has now: four Sundays, each with its own reading and candle, moving from longing to joy. Advent has a deliberate double meaning — it looks back to the first coming of Christ at Bethlehem, and forward to His promised return. That's why its oldest prayers sound like this:
"I wait for the LORD; my soul does wait, and in His word I put my hope." — Psalm 130:5 (BSB)
"A voice of one calling: ‘Prepare the way for the LORD in the wilderness; make a straight highway for our God in the desert.’" — Isaiah 40:3 (BSB)
The Advent Wreath and Candles
The best-known Advent custom is the wreath: a circle of evergreens holding four candles, one lit each Sunday. Traditionally three candles are purple or blue (colors of waiting and preparation) and one is rose, lit on the third Sunday — Gaudete ("rejoice") Sunday — as a note of joy partway through the season. Many families add a white "Christ candle" in the center, lit on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day. The four weeks are often given themes — hope, peace, joy, and love — though the order and wording vary from church to church, and none of it is required: the wreath is a teaching tool, not a rule.
How Different Churches Observe It
Catholics mark Advent at Mass with purple vestments and the wreath; many Protestant churches light the candles in Sunday worship and use daily devotional readings; Orthodox Christians keep the Nativity Fast; and plenty of families observe Advent entirely at home with a calendar and a nightly prayer. The traditions differ in form but agree at the center: slow down, and get your heart ready.
Keeping Advent Simply
You don't need a liturgy to keep Advent. Light a candle at dinner and pray one short prayer. Read a few verses of the Christmas story each week, so it unfolds slowly instead of arriving all at once. Choose one act of generosity for each week of the season. The point of every Advent practice is the same waiting hope the season's final prayer names:
"He who testifies to these things says, ‘Yes, I am coming soon.’ Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!" — Revelation 22:20 (BSB)
Prayers and Readings for Advent
When you're ready to begin, start with the Advent candle lighting prayers — one for each Sunday — or the quiet Advent prayer of waiting. For reading through the season, our Christmas Bible verses walk from the prophecies to the manger, and the Christmas prayer is ready for the day itself.