An Advent calendar is a special calendar used to count the days of Advent in anticipation of Christmas. Since the date of the First Sunday of Advent varies, falling between November 27 and December 3 inclusive, many Advent calendars, especially those that are reusable, often begin on December 1, although those that are produced for a specific year often include the last few days of November that are part of the liturgical season. The Advent calendar was first used by German Lutherans in the 19th and 20th centuries.
Design and use
An Advent calendar featuring Santa Claus riding his sleigh
Traditional Advent calendars feature the manger scene, Saint Nicholas and winter weather, while others 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”, one for each day of December leading up to and including Christmas Eve (December 24) or Christmas Day (December 25). Consecutive doors are opened every day leading up to Christmas, beginning on the start of the Advent season for that year, or simply on December 1. Often the doors are distributed across the calendar in no particular order. 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, and string up reusable Advent calendars. Many towns have created living advent calendars. Some Advent calendars even eschew traditional Christmas motifs and themes, focusing only on Jesus as the central character of the Christmas story.
During the 2020 Coronavirus pandemic, advent calendars were sent to social care staff across England as an aide-mémoire to help care workers keep track of the days when they needed to submit their coronavirus home-testing kits.
The Nordic Julekalender/Julkalender
In Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden there is also a tradition of having a Julekalender (Swedish: Julkalender, Finnish: Joulukalenteri, Icelandic: Jóladagatal; the local word for a Yule—or Christmas—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 calendars
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Advent calendar from Im Lande des Christkinds. The windows contain Christmas poems. Images, from a cut-out sheet, were pasted over them.
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A 1946 Advent calendar by Marianne Schneegans.
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The 24 windows of the front of Hellbrunn Palace in Salzburg, Austria, used as an Advent calendar during the town’s Christmas market.
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A home-made Advent calendar featuring presents.
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An Advent calendar consisting of images that have dates on the inverse side.
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A Norwegian Advent calendar.
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A home-made Advent calendar made from wood in the shape of a Christmas tree.
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Advent Calendar at the City Hall in Stollberg, Saxony.
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Two girls try to open a massive Advent calendar at the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church, Berlin.
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Advent calendar with real living people.
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Advent calendar with presents as flaps, randomly arranged.
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Stand-up Advent calendar by Carlsen Verlag 1959.