Christian Festivals: Advent (Cambridge (CIE) IGCSE Religious Studies): Revision Note

What is Advent?

• The word “Advent” means “coming” or “drawing near”

• Advent is the period leading up to Christmas 

• It starts on the Sunday nearest to 30th November and ends on the fourth Sunday before 25th December

• It is a time of preparation for the celebration of Jesus’s birth on Christmas

• Advent also looks forward to the Second Coming of Christ, when Christians believe he will return in glory

• It is a season of hope, expectation and waiting

Advent: Fasting, prayer and charity

• In early Christianity, Advent was a penitential season like Lent, with fasting and reflection

• Today, some Christians still give something up or practise moderation during Advent

• Advent is a time of:

  • Prayer for the coming of Jesus at Christmas and for peace in the world

  • Charity, as Christians focus on giving to those in need through food banks, collections or charity appeals

  • Spiritual preparation by attending services and Bible study

• Many Christians use Advent calendars to focus their thoughts each day on the coming of Christmas

How is Advent marked in church?

• Churches are decorated in purple during Advent

  • This is the colour of waiting and penitence and is also used during Lent

• An Advent wreath with four candles is used:

  • One candle is lit on each Sunday of Advent

  • The candles are purple, representing hope, peace, joy and love

  • On the third Sunday, the candle is pink to represent joy 

  • The increasing number of lit candles shows that, with each passing Sunday, the coming of Christ at Christmas is getting closer

  • A fifth candle (usually red or white) is sometimes lit on Christmas Day to represent Christ’s birth

  • The wreath’s green colour and circular shape symbolise eternal life

• Churches often hold additional services and events during Advent. For example:

  • Advent services with hymns and readings

  • Christingle services (especially in Anglican churches), where children carry symbolic oranges with candles

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Symbolism of the Christingle

• Carol services and nativity plays become more common as Christmas approaches

Religious reasons for observing Advent

• Christians observe Advent:

  • To prepare their hearts and minds to celebrate the birth of Jesus

  • To remember that Jesus is the Light of the World, bringing hope into the darkness

  • To reflect on the Second Coming of Christ and be spiritually ready

  • To practise hopeful waiting, patience and trust in God’s promises

  • To enter Christmas with a spirit of humility, not just celebration

Social significance of observing Advent

• Advent encourages people to slow down and reflect, even during a busy time of year

• The focus on charity and giving inspires acts of kindness, generosity and thoughtfulness towards others

• Charities run Advent campaigns and appeals to help the vulnerable

• Advent calendars, even if not religious, allow a moment of daily reflection or anticipation

• In schools and families, Advent can be a time of shared activities such as lighting candles or telling Bible stories

• Advent helps people find meaning beyond consumerism, focusing instead on values such as hope and peace

Different ways of observing Advent

• The season of Advent is marked in many similar ways across different Christian traditions, with calendars, carol services, nativity plays, wreaths and candles

• Some churches have a Jesse Tree, telling the story of Jesus’s family line through symbols

• Orthodox Christians call Advent the Nativity Fast. This begins in mid-November and lasts 40 days

  • Orthodox Christians undertake a fast during this time, but it is less strict than the fast for Great Lent