Our culture starts to celebrate Christmas at best at midnight after Thanksgiving, but more and more at midnight after Halloween. However, in the Catholic Church, we do not start the Christmas season until the evening of December 24. Instead, we have a four-week preparation time leading up to Christmas called Advent, which begins on the Sunday closest to St. Andrew's Day, celebrated on November 30th. In the Catholic Church, the Christmas season then continues into January, until the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord. In fact, in an older Catholic tradition, Christmas celebrations didn't end until Candlemas, which is February 2.
In this article, we will explore how we can reconnect with the original purpose of the Advent season and how we can reintroduce Advent customs developed in the Catholic Church throughout the centuries, around the world. Let us rediscover how we can celebrate Advent in the Catholic way.
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