The four Sundays and weeks leading up to Christmas are known as Advent (or, perhaps, the first of December through Christmas!). Latin's word for "coming" is advent. Jesus' entry into the world is represented by this. The four Sundays and weeks of Advent are used by Christians to reflect on and prepare for the true meaning of Christmas.
 

In Advent, Christians discuss three different types of arrival. The first and most prominent occurred around 2000 years ago when Jesus entered the world as a baby and grew up to become a man before dying in our place. Jesus wants to enter our life today, so the second is possible. The third will occur when Jesus returns to the world as King and Judge, not as a baby, in the future.
 

Advent Sunday can fall on any day between November 27 (as it did in 2016) and December 3 (as it did in 2017)! Only when Christmas Day is on a Wednesday (as it was in 2019) does Advent begin on December 1st!
 

Nobody exactly knows when Advent was first observed, but it may be traced to at least 567 when monks were instructed to fast throughout the month of December before Christmas.

To assist them to focus on getting ready to welcome Jesus's arrival, some people choose to fast (not eat anything) throughout the season of advent. Advent, also known as the Nativity Fast, is a 40-day period that begins on November 15 in many Orthodox and Eastern Catholic churches. The beginning of Advent in Celtic Christianity is November 15th.

During Advent, Orthodox Christians frequently abstain from eating meat, dairy products, and, depending on the day, olive oil, wine, and fish. On this calendar from the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, you can see which days correspond to which foods right now (goes to another site).

There was an early version of Nativity scenes known as "advent pictures" or a "vessel cup" in some areas of England during the pre-and middle ages. They consisted of a box with two dolls standing in for Mary and the infant Jesus, frequently with a glass lid covered in a white tablecloth. Ribbons and flowers were used to embellish the package (and sometimes apples). From door to door, they were carried. If you don't see a box before Christmas Eve, it was considered to be extremely unfortunate! People paid halfpence to the box carriers to view the box.

Advent Traditions

Different nations use a variety of calendar types. The ones that are most popular in the UK and the USA are made of paper or cards and have 24 or 25 little windows on them. Every day in December, a window is opened, revealing a picture of Christmas on the other side.
 

German protestant Christians in the 19th century marked out one of the 24 chalk lines on a door for each day in December as they counted down to Christmas.
 

The first calendar with chocolate was produced in 1958, and Cadbury's produced its first calendar in the UK in 1971. However, initially, they didn't sell a lot. It wasn't really until the 1980s that chocolate calendars started to gain popularity.
 

Germany is one of the European nations that use a fir wreath with 24 bags or boxes hanging from it. Each box or bag contains a miniature gift for every day.
 

Jewish Festival of Lights: Hanukkah

The Jewish Festival of Lights, Hanukkah (also spelled Chanukah), commemorates the rededication of the second Jewish Temple in Jerusalem, Israel. It took place in the 160s BCE/BC (before Jesus was born). (The Hebrew and Aramaic words for "dedication" are Hanukkah.) Hanukkah begins on the eve of Kislev 25, which falls around the same time as December in the Jewish calendar. It lasts for eight days. Kislev can fall between late November and late December because the Jewish calendar is lunar (it bases its dates on the moon's phases).

On each of the eight nights of Hanukkah, a candle is lit in a unique menorah (candelabra) known as a "hanukkiyah." The ninth candle, known as the "shammash," also known as the servant candle or assistance candle, is used to light the other candles. The shamash typically occupies the center and is placed higher than the other candles. On the first night, the shammash and one other candle are positioned in the menorah's most ideal position. Another candle is added from right to left on the second night. This continues over the course of the eight nights until the eighth and last night of the festival when all the candles are set up and lit.
 

Before lighting the candles, a special blessing is recited in which God is thanked, and a Jewish hymn is frequently performed. The menorah is placed in the front window of homes so that onlookers can view the lights and recall the Hanukkah legend. The majority of Jewish homes and families observe Hanukkah and have a special menorah.