The holiday season is upon us, and advent calendars are flying off store shelves. These festive calendars full of little doors reveal treats and surprises as we count down the days until Christmas. But even though advent calendars have become a secular tradition, are they inherently religious at their core?
As a professional custom advent calendar printing manufacturer, I decided to dig into the history and meaning behind advent calendars to find out. Let’s unwrap the facts together.
A Brief History of Advent Itself
Before diving into advent calendars, it helps to understand what “Advent” refers to in the first place.
Advent is a season observed by various Christian denominations, including Catholic, Lutheran, Anglican, Methodist, and Presbyterian churches. It begins on the fourth Sunday before Christmas Day and continues through Christmas Eve (or in some cases, through Christmas Day).
The word “advent” comes from the Latin term “adventus,” meaning “arrival” or “coming.” For Christians, Advent serves two key purposes:
- It’s a time to prepare for and anticipate the celebration of Jesus’s birth on December 25 (Christmas Day).
- It’s also a season to look forward to Jesus’s second coming at the end of days, as referenced multiple times in the Bible.
So in short, Advent connects both the first and second “comings” of Jesus Christ. The weeks leading up to Christmas allow Christians to reflect, fast, pray, and ready their hearts for the joyous Nativity celebrations.
When Did Advent Calendars Originate?
Now let’s fast forward to the 19th century. This is when families in Germany first started creating Advent calendars to track the days leading up to Christmas.
Early versions often involved lighting a new candle each day or making chalk marks on doors. Some families also hung devotional religious images or Bible verses to remain focused on the spiritual meaning behind the season.
The first printed Advent calendar emerged around 1902 in Germany. By the 1920s and 30s, publishers like Gerhard Lang were mass producing decorative calendars with little flaps or doors to hide Christmas images behind.
So while Advent itself dates back many centuries, the popular tradition of Advent calendars is just over 100 years old. Their creation stemmed from a desire to celebrate the Advent season in a visually engaging way.
Are Modern Advent Calendars Religious?
As Advent calendars grew in popularity over the 20th century, they inevitably became more commercialized and secular. You could now find calendars with toys, chocolates, beauty products, or other non-religious surprises behind each numbered door.
However, many Advent calendars today still carry sacred meaning for Christian families. For example:
- Liturgical calendars highlight Bible verses or devotional themes for each day.
- Jesse Tree ornaments tell stories leading up to Jesus’s birth.
- Nativity scene calendars reveal a new character from the Nativity story every day.
So while the concept of using Advent calendars has crossed over into pop culture, many Christians still leverage them as spiritual teaching tools.
Using Secular vs. Religious Advent Calendars
Another key insight is that even standard, non-religious Advent calendars can be given spiritual meaning. Simply use the daily act of opening doors as a chance to reflect on the Advent season with your family.
You can take moments to read Bible stories, discuss their significance, or pray together. This turns the activity into a sacred tradition, even if the calendar itself features holiday-themed designs.
There’s also a middle ground where the calendar format is secular but the activities take on spiritual themes. For example, the “Kindness Elf” encourages children to write down acts of kindness to improve the world while they count down to Christmas.
In Summary: It’s Up to You
So are Advent calendars inherently religious? At their historical root, yes – they originated as Christian devotionals. But today, many calendars cater to secular Christmas celebrations rather than church traditions.
Ultimately, you get to decide whether your family uses the Advent calendar as a spiritual practice or just as a festive holiday countdown. Any calendar can be given Christian focus alongside the existing excitement of revealing daily surprises.
No matter your background or beliefs, Advent calendars make December more thrilling for kids of all ages. Just be intentional about stopping to reflect on Advent’s deeper significance when you crack open each new door.