The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1922-12-09
THE ADVENT SEASON

--. -. -: -
THE ADVENT SEASON
New York Dec. While shop
windows and bustling crowds of
shoppers give visual reminder OF
I-approach of the Christmas season,
among millions Of Christian be-
levers throughout the world this
day marks the beginning Of that
spiritual preparation for the
event upon which the greatest ho1-
/. iday in the calendar Of our civil.
ization is founded.
/ This is Advent Sunday, the be-
ginning of the season of Advent,
iof that period of preparation for
! the due observance OF the day
! which marks the birth, or coming,
/ of the Saviour of mankind. AL
though the secular celebration OF
! Christmas has become almost lni-
| ve.sal as a time for feasting and
irejoicing and giving, to the. great
mass of the people perhaps by rea-
! son of; its universally. the spiritual
significance of the day is frequent
;ly submerged in its more worldly
! features. The world rejoices.. for.
the brief period of the Yuletide the
very best that is in human nature
rises uppermost-even old Scrooge
succuEabs to the. human touch but
/ for the most part only with an
unconscious, instructive realiza--
! ton that it is the day to which,
I. according to the Christian doc
trine. the ancient Hebrew prophet
/ Isaiah referred when he SAID,
"Prepare ye the way of the Lord,
make strait in the desert a highs
way for our God;;" and of which
John the Baptist, born but SIX
months before Jesus OF Nazareth.
spoke when he proclaimed him
self a '.voice. in the wilderness.
! preparing the way for. the COM
| ing Of the Christ.
To ali Christian, believers Ad-
vent, measurably speaking. is to
! Christmas, what the, Lenten Sea-
/ son. is to Easter. There was a
time in the early history of the
! Christian Church when Advent
was observed in much the same
way as Lent, though with less strict
ness. In its full meaning Advent
. refers not alone to the first COM
| ing of the Christ at his birth .in
Bethlehem, but as we'll to his final
] coming to Judge the world in &C
/ tcordance with scriptura testi-
mony-
( No certainty exists as. to just
/ when the season of Advent began
I to be observed, There is a pos
/ sible reference TO it in a canon
tof a council at Saragossa in the
year $50 The first authoritative
Preference to it is in the Synod CT
/ Lerida in the year 524. Since the
I, Sixth Century it has been recog-
;nized as the beginning Of the
! Christian Year. It's observance has
| been enioined with the view Of di-
recting the thoughts Of Christian
4 pSiltSStS5 " Tie III SOAii2Alo -
I Christ as Saviour and to his second
coming as Judge. and among wes-
tern Christians at least has been
kept as a season of penitence dur
ing which dancing and festivities
We're, forbidden, fasting enjoined
aud purple vestments worn in the
! church services. This strict rule
is now somewhat relaxed. In the
Eastern Church Advent lasts from
st. Martins Day. November II and
inI3thsee-s other churches from the
Sunday nearest ST. Andrews Day,
! November 80, till Christmas.
Popular observance in many
countries, some Of which still sur
viye. long marked Advent. In
England and the northern coun-
tries there Was the custom among
poor women to carry around Ad-
vent images dressed. one to rep
resent Chris; and the other the
Sirsin Mary: and IL half penny was
expected from everyone to whom
these were exhibited. while bad
luck was thought to menance the
household OF any not visited by
the doll bearers before Christmas
Eve Normandy farmers still en-
ploy children under twelve to
light tres i'll fields and orchards
during advent and thus drive out
yermin likely to damage the crops.
In Italy IN the last days of Ad-
Vent the Calabsian pifferari or
bag pipe PLAYERS play before the
ishrines OF the Holy Mother, the
tradition being that shepherds
played on these pipes when they
came 30 the manager n Bethlehem
f, do ,or,.oa 70 tho Sa1-;o,1r