Happy Advent!

greenspun.com : LUSENET : Countryside : One Thread

I was wondering if anybody out there celebrates Advent as a time of preparing for Christmas instead of celebrating the three and a half weeks before Christmas just like Christmas, then ending it all on December 26th. For instance, using an Advent wreath, holding off on putting up the tree and other decorations until the 20th or so, not pigging out on Christmas cookies until Christmas eve, etc. And then celebrating Christmas until January 6th, the feast of the Epiphany. I just see so many people sick to death of Christmas by the 25th because they get it in their face from Thanksgiving (or Halloween) on, and by the time the holiday rolls around, they are burned out. Imagine how nice it would be if we really prepared for the coming of this wonderful day, especially in our hearts (note I'm not trying to get explicitly religious here, lest I offend anybody) :)

-- Christina (introibo2000@yahoo.com), December 06, 2001

Answers

Not worrying about offending anyone...it's just that, the folks that run this forum don't want too much explicit Christianity.

-- Christina (introibo2000@yahoo.com), December 06, 2001.

Christina, I have often wondered about Advent and the how to celebrate it all. How did you learn? Growing up in a Baptist church didn't teach us about it. In His Grace, Sissy

-- Sissy Sylvester-Barth (iblong2Him@ilovejesus.net), December 06, 2001.

Sissy, I'm Catholic, and we were just raised with the idea of Advent being a penetential season, like Lent, but less so. I believe Lutherans are big on the Advent practices too, especially the Advent wreath. Also in churches is a Jesse tree, which takes the place of the Christmas tree in Advent. It has ornaments that symbolize the ancestors of our Lord. There are many books that describe Advent and other year round religious customs. One which is out of print but might be available on used book sites like Abebooks.com is "Around the Year with the Trapp Family" by Maria von Trapp of "Sound of Music" fame.

-- Christina (introibo2000@yahoo.com), December 06, 2001.

Christina--Yes, we observe Advent. We have our Advent wreath and candles and special prayers. We did put lights on our outside tree because the weather was so nice, but will not turn them on for awhile yet. We will put up a small inside tree, a Nativity, and extra candles the Sunday before Christmas. I do bake some cookies ahead of time and keep them in the freezer. Since we started celebrating the Christmas season from Christmas Eve to the Feast of the Epiphany, Christmas is much nicer and more meaningful.

We have also been collecting items for a local domestic violence shelter for an Advent project this year.

-- vicki in NW OH (thga76@aol.com), December 06, 2001.


An answer to Ken (since he *did* ask) how anyone could be offended. Mind you, I'm not so much offended, but just wanted to offer a little perspective on a comment he made. "Jesus IS the reson for the season". It's a well documented fact that Xians, in order to help convert the heathens/pagans/what not, centered Xian holidays around the pagan ones, so the ppl could still celebrate their holy days (holidays--sometimes ppl forget that's where the word came from)), and worship in a XIan manner as well. One of these, Yule (and called by other names in various cultures, I use the one I am familiar with), was used as the basis for many Xmas traditions 1) red & green colors, a tree (Yes, that nice, beautiful tree you have is a pagan tradition), mistletoe, the Yule log (notice the name Yule), the date (Yule is celebrated on the solstice, usually Dec 21st, or 22, and slowly moving backwards) the length of it--12 days (the amount of days the log was supposed to burn, hence giving the "12 days of Xmas"), and lastly Father Time/Baby New Year--this one comes from the celebration of the return of the Father (the male god), who gets reborn ito the world (Jesus being born)-- Xmas and Yule are *extremely* similiar holidays-- /humor/the names have been changed to protect the guilty :)/end humor/.

Jesus may be an *additional* reason for the season, but it is certainly not the origin of it, nor the only reason :)

Have a Cool Yule!

-- Brendan K Callahan (Grinnell, IA) (sleeping@iowatelecom.net), December 07, 2001.


Guess I should have been more specific... I was speaking in the context of the question. Advent is a Christian symbol and to a Christian Jesus IS the reason for the season. Pagans, heathens and others may very well have their own observances and I have no dispute with that. As far as any offence... I do not take offense when someone chooses to speak about their particular beliefs on this forum or anywhere else and expect that no one should take offence when a Christian perspective is discussed. Tolerance is a two way street.

God Bless Ken

-- Ken in Maine (kenjan@nh.adelphia.net), December 07, 2001.


I grew up Baptist & always loved Christmas. Now that I'm Catholic I have even more Xmas stuff to celebrate. For St. Nicholas eve, the children put their shoes by the fire with straw in them & St. Nick leaves money or fruit. Then there's the Advent wreath & the good deeds manger (you add a piece of straw every time you do a good deed). The idea is that your good deeds provide a soft bed for the baby Jesus. Then Christmas with midnight Mass. On Epiphany there are more presents from the Wise Men. Some years we have started the Wise Men & their camels at one end of the house, moving them closer to Bethlehem each day.

-- Bonnie (stichart@plix.com), December 08, 2001.

Moderation questions? read the FAQ