ADVENT-DO YOU KNOW ITS MEANING AND Customs?

The meaning of Advent

ADVENT = ARRIVAL. It calls on Christians to meet Christ in our daily lives and prepares Christians for his glorious second coming. Fortunately, the Advent season is not just a time of shopping spree, although ancient customs are intertwined with Christian traditions. No need to be stunned by Christmas carols at a time when Advent songs should be given space = totals.

From time immemorial, the Advent wreath has been a symbol of victory and royal dignity. It represents the symbolism of the cross of Christ or God’s eternity and unity and has clear rules for what it should look like. Colors are important. The color of Advent is purple!
Green twigs (conifers or holly represent life) with 3 purple ones (dignity, repentance) and one pink candle (consecrated friendship). The candles are lit counterclockwise. Wreaths with a fifth – white candle – in the middle are also common. It is lit on Christmas Day and symbolizes Christ.

1st candle – The first Advent – iron – Sunday is lit. This year it is published on November 27. The candle is called Hope.
2nd candle – The second Advent – bronze – Sunday is lit. This year it is published on December 4. The candle is called Peace.
3rd candle – The third Advent – silver – Sunday is lit. This year it is published on December 11. The candle is called Friendship and should be pink.
4th candle – The fourth Advent – golden – Sunday is lit. This year it is published on December 18. The candle is called Love.
5th Candle – Lights on Christmas Day after sunset. It is white and consecrated to Christ, who dispels darkness because He is the Light.

So let’s not waste the chance that Advent time offers us!

Customs and folk customs of Advent
During Advent, when spinning wheels were spinning in rooms and kitchens and girls and women were spinning at spindles, there was a lot of talks.

December 4 – St. Barbara’s Day – helpers in need, patrons of the dying, patrons of miners. The saint was known to have spent her youth locked in a tower because her father was very worried about her. Among the servants who brought her food was a Christian who converted her to faith. At that time, the parents were very afraid of such actions of their children, condemned them, and usually hit hard. Barbara’s father also wanted to force his daughter to renounce Christianity, when even threats of murder did not help, he handed her over to a judge. He could torture her, and when he had her flogged, she remarked that it was as if she were being stroked by peacock feathers. The terrible abuse continued by cutting off the girl’s breasts and trying to drive her through the streets of the city. But according to the story, an angel appeared at that moment and covered her bleeding body with a white cloak. “

In our country, however, in many other countries, people cut cherry twigs on this day. They put them in a bowl of water to bloom beautifully by Christmas Day. The girls gave each twig the name of a boy and believed that they would marry the one whose name would bloom first. At other times, it was calculated how many days after Barbara the twig would bloom to determine the happiest month of next year.

December 6 – The feast of St. Nicholas has long been associated with the belief in wealth. Traders were happy to close complex deals that day. The generosity of the saint is based on the story of the gift of three daughters to an indebted father. The man wanted to sell his daughters to a brothel, but Nicholas threw money into the room through an open window for three consecutive nights. With them, the father could not only repay all debts but also give his daughters decent equipment. Nicholas lived in the 4th century in Myra, Asia Minor, with extraordinary devotion and a sense of justice gained popularity among the broadest sections of the population.

Around Nikolas’s person, most of the customs related to his gifts to all children have been preserved. On the eve of the holiday, a man with a white chin visits the children and gives them sweets, but he also blesses them. Nicholas wore the traditional bishop’s robe, which consisted of a cloak with a hood lined with fur, a high paper cap on his head, and a crutch in his hand. The angels wore white shirts, and the devil pulled on a usually long, black fur-turned fur coat, belted with a chain and bells on it. The children had to kneel in front of them and pray: “Santa Claus, good uncle, I pray your prayer, put your full leg on, give us a little of your gifts, or honey hobbies, or poppy seed cakes, lead you, Uncle Nicholas, many good things you have. “

In connection with this holiday, St. Nicholas markets were held for the first time. They sold various pastries, figurines and other small toys, typical of this time. They were made of dried fruit, unfixed clay or pieces of wood. The tradition of St. Nicholas has been applied with great tenacity for several centuries to this day and has its firm place at a time when traditions are no longer so important.

December 13 Saint Lucia – this day is characterized by folk lore: “Saint Lucia shows its power because it gives us the longest night.”