Advent calendar

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An **Advent calendar** is a special calendar used to count or celebrate the days in anticipation of Christmas. Since the date of the first Sunday of Advent varies, falling between November 27 and December 3 inclusive, the Advent calendar usually begins on December 1, although many include the previous few days that are part of the season. The Advent calendar was first used by German Lutherans in the 19th and 20th centuries but is now ubiquitous among adherents of many Christian denominations.

## Design and use

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Advent calendars range in theme, from sports to technology. They come in a multitude of forms, from a simple paper calendar with flaps covering each of the days to fabric pockets on a background scene to painted wooden boxes with cubby holes for small items.

Many Advent calendars take the form of a large rectangular card with "windows", of which there are usually 24: one for each day of December leading up to and including Christmas Eve (December 24). Consecutive doors are opened every day leading up to Christmas, beginning on December 1. The calendar windows open to reveal an image, a poem, a portion of a story (such as the story of the Nativity of Jesus), or a small gift, such as a toy or a chocolate item. Often, each window has a Bible verse and Christian prayer printed on it, which Christians incorporate as part of their daily Advent devotions. Advent calendars may also have puzzles and games printed on their reverse side.

The long-established British magazine *Country Life* incorporates an Advent calendar - which it describes as "our famous Advent calendar" - in its cover for the final issue of November.

There are many variations of advent calendar, including social media advent calendars. Many towns have created living advent calendars.

## The Nordic Julekalender/Julkalender

Main article: Nordic Christmas calendar
In Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden there is also a tradition of having a so-called *Julekalender* (Swedish: *Julkalender*, Finnish: *Joulukalenteri*, Icelandic: *Jóladagatal*; the local word for a Yule – or Christmas – calendar, even though it actually is an Advent calendar) in the form of a television or radio show, starting on December 1 and ending on Christmas Eve (December 24).

Such a show first aired on radio in 1957 in the form of the Swedish radio series *Barnens adventskalender*; the first televised show of the genre aired in 1960 in the form of the Swedish program *Titteliture*. The first *julekalender* aired in Denmark was *Historier fra hele verden* in 1962. The televised *julkalender* or *julekalendar* has now extended into the other Nordic countries; in Finland, for example, the show is called *Joulukalenteri*.

Over the years, there have been several kinds of *julekalender*; some are directed at children, some at both children and adults, and some directed at adults alone. There is a *Julkalender* radio show in Sweden, which airs in the days leading up to Christmas. A classic example of a *julekalender* enjoyed by children (as well as adults, if purely for nostalgic reasons) is the 1979 Norwegian television show *Jul i Skomakergata*; another is the 1990 Icelandic television show *Á baðkari til Betlehem*.

## Image gallery

A collection of Advent calendarsRichard Ernst Kepler - Im Lande des Christkinds.jpgAdvent calendar from *Im Lande des Christkinds*. The windows contain Christmas poems. Images, from a cut-out sheet, were pasted over them.Marianne Schneegans Adventskalender.jpegA 1946 Advent calendar by Template:Interlanguage link multiSchloss Hellbrunn zur Adventszeit.jpgThe 24 windows of the front of Hellbrunn Palace used as an Advent calendar during the town's Christmas market.Adventkalender andrea.JPGA home-made Advent calendar featuring presents2014-12 12 Adventskalender St. Elisabeth (Essen-Frohnhausen).jpgAn Advent calendar consisting of images that with dates on the inverse sideAdventskalender im Bau.jpgA home-made Advent calendar made from wood in the shape of a Christmas treeAdvent candle 1.jpgAdvent candleAdventskalender am Rathaus. Stollberg. IMG 0831WI.jpgAdvent Calendar at the city Hall Stollberg.A few hours too early (4267111411).jpgTwo girls try to open a massive Advent calendar at the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church, Berlin.Adventskalender.JPGAdvent calendar with real living people
## See also

* Advent wreath
* Christingle

## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Mills, T.J. (May 10, 2010). *The Twelve Blessings of Christmas*. Thomas Nelson Inc. p. 54. ISBN 9780529124319. The Advent calendar was first used by Lutherans in the early 19th century. Early printed Advent calendars had Bible verses behind little cardboard doors.
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Gassmann, Günther; Larson, Duane H.; Oldenburg, Mark W. (April 4, 2001). *Historical Dictionary of Lutheranism*. Scarecrow Press. p. 87. ISBN 9780810866201. The periods of Advent and Christmas have been especially dear to Lutherans and have provided ground for the creation and observation of customs: the rich tradition of hymn singing and church music, the Advent wreath as a sign of Christ's victory, the Advent calendar with its "windows," candles symbolizing new light in darkness, the varieties of Advent and Christmas cookies (gingerbread, fruit loaf, and so on) with several spices (originally seven, the holy number), the Christmas tree with glittering decoration and self-made figures and symbols as a reminder of the gold and treasures that the three wise men brought to the Christ Child, the cribs and tableaus within and out front of the churches and houses, and the greeting of Christmas morning by hymns and carols blown by trumpets and trombones from church towers.
3. ↑ Black, Vicki K. (January 9, 2004). *Welcome to the Church Year: An Introduction to the Seabury Bookssons of the Episcopal Church*. Church Publishing, Inc. p. 17. ISBN 9780819225757. Thygthendar: Another way to mark the progress of Advent is the Advent calendar. Again, many children enjoy this hands-on way of keeping Advent, and families can incorporate prayers and brief Scripture readings or nativity stores into the daily ritual of opening the Advent calendar.
4. ↑ For example, *Country Life*, 25 November 2015
5. ↑ "Julkalendern 50 år - Bakgrund". Web.archive.org. December 10, 2007. Archived from the original on December 10, 2007. Retrieved December 9, 2011.

## External links

* Taylor, Alan. "2012 Hubble Space Telescope Advent Calendar", *The Atlantic*, November 30, 2012

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