My daughter goes to a Catholic school. Monday they learned about Advent. Tuesday a note came home saying it would be "nice" if we applied what they learned at school at home.

Only problem is we played hooky on Monday and took her to Disneyland for her birthday. Also we (The Housebound and I) are bad Catholics. (Although to be fair, we were brought up to be just so-so Catholics). So, we don't know what Advent is. I tried looking it up, but what comes up is complicated; the grey matter can't take it in at 12 midnight. Only thing I gleaned was that it starts on the 2nd.

Please, is there anyone out there who can give a simple explanation on Advent and how we are supposed to celebrate it? I don't want my kid thinking that her parents are dorks.

Alright, I know, she probably thinks that already...

thats all from the catholic encyclopedia...

i love it, a jew from israel teaching about advent, what a riot...as the succesful advertising campaigbn of the NBA goes...i love this game!

Aren't you supposed to get one of those calendar thingies that has pockets you fill with candy for each night?

Sorry, Friday, it looks like my advent knowledge is pretty skimpy.

bachophile... LOL!

Check out info about the Advent Wreath.. Many families do this at home with their children.. You'll need a wreath, 1 pink, and 3 purple candles. We do that on Sunday nites.

http://www.cptryon.org/prayer/adx/adwreath.html

http://www.domestic-church.com/CONTENT.DCC/19981101/SCRMNTL/advntwrth.htm

I thought most Christian churches celebrated Advent.

Here's a link that might be of help:

http://www.ewtn.com/library/FAMILY/ADVCUST.TXT

I always though of Advent as the preparation for the birth of Jesus and Christmas. We would have an Advent Wreath with the three white candles and one purple/rose colored candle, which would be lit at evenig and burn through dinner. Each week another candle would be lit, so that at the last week, all four would burn. We had a little booklet from which prayers were read. I think the purple candle is for the third week, but I forget now.

The best was the Advent Calendar, which my aunt from Germany would send every year. The little numbered doors would have lovely German chocolates hidden behind them. We would get to open the door corresponding to the date each morning and enjoy that chocolate. Reminds me, I have to get my advent calendar out and fill it. My husband loves that chocolate.

from justme:
I read in this moring's paper that the correct PC term is now "recognize", not "celebrate"... sheesh... how bad is this getting... :rolleyes:

That's sad.

The Episcopal Church certainly does. I'd expect the Lutherans do as well.

Thanks for all the help everyone! Now I have to find purple candles...

OK, from one not very good Catholic to the rest of you, Advent is basically the four Sunday’s before Christmas and yes there is a wreath or candlestick with five places for candles and you light one for each Sunday that passes until on Christmas eve, you get to light them all. The Advent Calendar is a really nice thing, some are hand made, you fill them with chocolates (hard centers are best) and you should give one to each child who has decided to try and be a good little Catholic. We had a nephew who wasn’t really into getting anything out of the daily readings and meditations that go with it, all he wanted were the candies, so he broke open all the doors and ate everything in a matter of minutes (piggy!). Advent Calendars (and everything else nice) work far better with little girls. (I’m so glad I got to raise girls not boys ).

As for all the ceremony, etc. in Christendom, there are “high” churches and I guess you’d call them “low” churches. The former are distinguished by a set pattern of the service called a liturgy (this is a Greek word for a ceremonial series of dramatic actions usually performed to invoke a particular pagan deity and usually paid for by some rich patron). Hence one has “liturgical churches;” Catholic, Orthodox, Episcopal, Lutheran, some Methodists, some Presbyterians, and those who just have some hymn singing, an offering the sermon and out you go, oh and sometimes after everything there’s a bit of faith healing too, amazingly wonderful stuff.

I love Christianity’s variety. When I need a break from the everywhere always the sameness of Catholicism, oh it’s wonderful to be able to go anywhere at all and be able to follow the service, it’s nice to occasionally pop into a faith healer church, or a church that is so plain that it hardly counts as a church, plain belief is often times better than embroidered belief (as among the best Catholics). I genuinely suppose that were any of these sects to be absent, somehow the universal body of Christ would suffer for it.

Enjoy your Christmas holidays my fellow Christians, and I shall try not to make my many Jewish friends feel uncomfortable by taking part in many of their time honored customs at this time of year.

Many good tidings to all of you and may your hearts be merry as your minds are mild.

Warning: Wreaths and candles are a particularly dangerous mix. Be very aware of fire safety if you mix them. If a candle falls over or is allowed to burn too long it can quickly ignite the wreath with predictable consequences. Also, children may decide to light the candles themselves.

Advent - preparing a way for the Lord, awaiting the Lord with hope. A time for reflection.

Presbyterians also celebrate Advent. Tomorrow begins the Second Week.