Advent 2025: A time of hope, light and beautiful traditions

You know that Advent is like a silent story that unfolds anew every year.

It begins quietly, in the last days of November, as nature prepares for winter sleep and we light the first candle on the Advent wreath. It is a season of anticipation leading up to Christmas Eve – but it is also a time to slow down, pause and experience the magic of preparation.

Advent has deep roots in history – since the 4th century, Christians have commemorated this important period. It gradually settled on four Sundays, which lead us step by step to the birth of Jesus Christ. The word „advent“ itself comes from the Latin Advent, which means arrival – the arrival of light into darkness, hope into uncertainty, warmth into winter.

It is no coincidence that this is the time when the days are shortest and the nights longest. Our ancient ancestors celebrated the winter solstice and welcomed the return of the life-giving sun at this time. Over the centuries, Christian and pagan customs have intertwined into a beautiful mosaic of traditions that we still experience today.

Each Advent Sunday has its own atmosphere. The first invites us to pause and concentrate, the second to humble repentance, the third ignites joy, and the fourth brings us to the very threshold of Christmas. With each lit candle, the light and our anticipation grow.

And on this day we can take a break from the hustle and bustle of everyday life, light the first candle and immerse ourselves in the special Advent atmosphere. Until Wednesday, December 24, we have time to enjoy this beautiful season – bake gingerbread, reminisce about childhood, and delight our loved ones.

Let's go through Advent together with love for traditions and for ourselves. After all, at fifty plus, we already know that the most precious moments are not the most unexpected, but those lived with peace in our hearts.

Dear ladies, Advent! This Latin word means „coming“ and refers to the expectation of the birth of Jesus Christ. But for our ancestors, it was also a time of celebration of the winter solstice – the return of life-giving light. It is a period of silence, contemplation and spiritual preparation for the most beautiful holidays of the year. Let’s remember how Advent is celebrated and what magical traditions are associated with it.

Advent is the beginning of the church year and lasts four Sundays before Christmas Eve. Originally a time of fasting, when all entertainment, dancing, and even singing were forbidden.

The most famous symbol is the Advent wreath with four candles. Every Sunday we light one:

Order	Name (Folk)	Name (Liturgical)	Color	Importance	Date (2025)
1. Sunday	Iron	Candles of the Prophets	Purple	A memorial to the prophets who predicted the birth of Christ.	November 30
2. Sunday	Bronze	Bethlehem candle	Purple	It represents love and the Nativity scene.	December 7
3. Sunday	Silver	Shepherd's candle (Gaudete – Joyful)	Purple	It expresses joy at the approaching end of the Lenten season.	December 14
4. Sunday	Golden	Angel candle	Pink (In some traditions, a fifth white candle is added to the center of the wreath on Christmas Eve, symbolizing Jesus Christ and spiritual purity.)	It represents peace and tranquility.	December 21

In addition to the wreath, there is also the tradition of the Advent calendar, the mass production of which dates back to the end of the 19th century in Germany.

Advent is full of old pagan customs that blend with Christian ones, and a number of mysterious characters appear in December.

Advent used to often begin on the feast of St. Andrew. This day belonged to the popular fortune-telling:

• Lead casting.
• Single girls would go to shake the fence at midnight - whichever side they heard footsteps from, the groom would come from.

This day belongs to a popular tradition „"Barborek"“:

• With the first ray of sunshine, a cherry branch (at least 10 years old) was cut.
• If the twig bloomed by Christmas Eve, it meant an early wedding for an unmarried girl.
• In the past, mysterious people also walked „"Barborka"“ – young girls in white who brought sweets and fruit to good children and punished the naughty ones with a broom and "swept" evil forces out of the house.

Nicholas, originally the bishop of Myra (300 AD), gave away his wealth to the poor. The legend of his generosity comes from the legend of the rescue of the three daughters of a indebted father, to whom Nicholas threw bags of money through the window.

• December 5th evening: Santa Claus, with an angel and a devil, visits houses, handing out sweets.
• December 6: St. Nicholas Day.

An interesting custom, now almost extinct. In the early evening, a man in a white shirt and a black pointed cap would walk near churches dedicated to St. Ambrose. Ambrose He chased children and scattered sweets, but anyone who bent down to get them got hit with a broom.

In the old calendar era, there used to be a winter solstice on St. Lucia, hence the famous saying: "„Lucia – it will drink up the night, but it will not add to the day.“.

• A strict ban was in effect spinning and plucking feathers.
• The houses were surrounded by so-called. Lucky – women in white coats with wooden masks. They checked whether women had not sinned, and in Bohemia they threatened children with a large knife, saying they would cut open their bellies if they did not fast during Advent.

Advent culminates on Christmas Eve, the last day of the year in the medieval calendar.

• Traditional dinner: Carp with potato salad and Christmas cake.
• Habits: Casting lead, slicing apples, launching shell boats, hiding fish scales under a plate.
• Share: Evening is coming Baby Jesus.
• Conclusion: The celebration of the birth of Christ begins with the midnight mass.

The Feast of the Nativity. It is the day when people go to see the Nativity scenes.

• Gingerbread and sweets: Gingerbread cookies are baked at the beginning of Advent so that they have time to soften before Christmas. Baking the cookies has its roots in the pagan tradition of celebrating the solstice.
• Advent markets: Visiting markets in Prague, Brno, Olomouc and other cities, where you can smell mulled wine and carols.
• Decoration: We decorate houses with mistletoe for luck and blessings.
• Bethlehem light: Scouts and volunteers have been spreading the flame lit in the Bethlehem Cave since 1986.

I wish you ✨ that your Advent time is filled with peace, a beautiful atmosphere, the scent of cinnamon and vanilla, and the magic of old traditions! ✨

First Sunday of Advent – Silence, Light and Hope