Advent is the four-week festival that marks the lead up until Christmas. Traditionally, it follows the journey of Mary, Joseph and the little donkey to Bethlehem. Like much of Christmas, it has become very commercialised with advent calendars lasting only 12 days and including lots of little gifts. However, there’s actually much more to this festival, and it is arguably one of the most beautiful ones in the festival calendar.
In a nutshell, advent marks the four weeks leading up to Christmas, beginning on the Sunday that allows four weeks until Christmas day.
The celebration of Advent does have Christian origins, however, it can be broadly enjoyed as a way of marking the approaching Christmas holiday and giving space to the anticipation with meaningful, beautiful celebration.
Each week of Advent is marked with a progression through the different kingdoms of nature, with the intent being that each week allows for light to be shone on all the goodness of these four kingdoms.
Week 1: The Mineral Kingdom
Week 2: The Plant Kingdom
Week 3: The Animal Kingdom
Week 4: The Human Kingdom
Celebrating each kingdom through the weeks of Advent allows for a pause and a moment to notice and appreciate the world around us. It also opens the possibility for stories and craft around these themes.
Here, in the Southern Hemisphere, we’re flying towards the longest day and our Advent celebrations can be a way of staying ‘in’ and holding ourselves through until the end of the year. In the Northern Hemisphere, during these most dark days, Advent can be a time of finding and holding light in the darkness.
I love Advent and have created a free guide with ideas for decoration, stories, and craft to mark each week of Advent 🌟
If you want the free Advent guide, with decorations, stories, and craft inspiration for each week, you can grab it here:
