The Advent Calender

It is hard to imagine the Christmas time without the Advent calendar which accompanies us from the beginning of December to Christmas Eve. However, it is hardly known that the Advent Calender has only been known for about 150 years. Early styles were little flags put onto a tree once a day by the children. Another custom was to hang up religious pictures on the wall each day until Christmas or, for poorer families, to draw twenty-four chalk lines on the door. Each day one line was wiped off until Christmas Eve. In 1902, the first printed Advent calender was published in Hamburg. Gerhard Lang, another publisher, launched his first Advent calenders in 1908. Until the 1930s he had developed a great number of various Advent calenders. Today's customers are spoilt for choice. The amount of calenders offered is hardly manageable. There are traditional calenders printed on cardboard, calenders filled with chocolate, which usually does not last longer than a couple of days, and there are even calenders containing little plastic bricks.

Advent

The Advent season is the preparation time for Christmas. The word "advent" derives from the Latin language and means "arrival". It refers to the arrival of Jesus Christ as the new king. In the 6th century, Pope Gregory appointed the fourth Sunday before Christmas as the beginning of the Advent season.

The Advent Star

The Advent Star symbolises the star which led the Three Kings to Bethlehem after Jesus was born. One of the best known Advent Stars is the Moravian Star or the Herrnhut Star as it is also called. The Moravian Church of Herrnhut used the star to decorate its hall for the Advent season.

Christmas

The word "Christmas" derives from the Middle English word "Cristemas" and means "Christ's mass". In pre-Christian times, Germanic Pagans celebrated a winter festival called Yule, which was held at the winter solstice and celebrates the end of darkness. As the exact birthdate of Jesus is not known, due to various calculations in the 4th century it was placed on December 25. It is not his actual date of birth but merely a traditional one. Christmas Day is preceded by Christmas Eve on December 24 which for many Germany means the actual Christmas.

The Christmas Tree

OIt is hard to imagine Christmas without the Christmas tree, subject of so many songs and stories. No matter whether a small one or a big one or simply a few branches, the Christmas tree is a part of the Christmas season. Originally a tradition from pagan cultures, the Christmas tree has nothing in common with the Christian faith. In times past, it was customary to hang green branches into the corners of a room in order to drive away the ghosts and demons which were believed to live there. The first actual Christmas trees were mentioned in Strasbourg, in the 16th century. Later on, Christmas trees were used in orphanages and presents for the children were hung up in the branches. It didn't take long for the Christmas tree to become a general custom, which spread throughout the world in the 18th century. Eventually, Christmas tree decorations and candles were added. Nowadays, customers can even buy artificial trees - The Christmas tree, finally, has become a symbol of the Christmas season.