Teach Us to Number Our Days - Barbara Dee Baumgarten

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Christmas Eve Advent closes; Christmas liturgy at 9:00 P.M. Replace wreath candles with white candles. 55

      Once your list is complete, proceed to the instructions for making the calendar, found in chapters 7, 8 and 9. (The above list corresponds to the sample junk-mail version pictured.)

       A Few Suggestions

      Some of the days of Advent require advance preparation. For example, supplies to make the Advent wreath on the First Sunday of Advent should be gathered before that Sunday. This is an easy thing to overlook since the First Sunday is the Sunday after Thanksgiving. If you opt to provide surprises on the feast of St. Nicholas, December 6, the stockings or shoes need to be set out the night before. The feast of St. Lucy on December 13 involves a special breakfast. Shopping needs to be done before opening the calendar on the morning of the thirteenth, lest you are caught short, without treats for a “Lucy breakfast.”

       Always be ready.

      —I Peter 3:15

      When you select your Advent calendar dates, note the dates on your household and daily planners as well. For example, the purchase of the Christmas tree can be an event that requires many hours and thus you may select a date on your daily calendar or planner that is completely open. Noting the date on multiple calendars helps keep it free for the activity.

      Baking and decorating cookies can be an all-day event that requires shopping in advance. Baking cookies is a messy business. Scheduling the baking just before housecleaning, so that you’ll know the mess is temporary, can cut down on the stress. This is one reason this calendar works: you can relax knowing that what needs to occur during Advent is scheduled and reserved in advance. In other words, the Advent calendar and the household calendar are coordinated to work together and eliminate the harried stress that is all too common during Advent.

       The Colors of Advent

      No season is more colorful than Christmas. Although Advent is not Christmas, it contains colors distinct to its expectant and preparatory character.

      They shall use gold, blue, purple, and crimson yarns.

      —Exodus 28:5

      Gold signifies the wealth of those who watch for Christ, the Sun of Righteousness and the King of kings.

      Blue, especially ensign or ultramarine, signifies hopeful expectation. It symbolizes the “glorious impossible” of Christ fully human, and the vast expanse of God’s love, resembling the sky and waters, spreads over the entire earth. The dominant color of Advent, blue is traditionally associated with the Virgin Mary, whose constancy of faith reveals the goodness of God.

      Purple, the color of royalty and power, heralds the coming of the King of kings. Purple reminds us that repentance and suffering lead to recognition of and alignment with God.

      Crimson signifies the creative power of God evidenced in the fire of divine love, the blood of the martyrs and the Holy Spirit.

      Rose, the color at dawn, heralds the imminent arrival of the sun—and Son. It is used on the Third Sunday of Advent.

      White indicates Christ the Light, who is pure and holy love and the source of life. It is the color of Christmas.

      Green represents the hope of spring and immortality.

      * The calendar-making directions in chapter 9, section 7 (pp. 108-110), describe how to handle a date that urges two observances, such as when the First Sunday of Advent falls on the feast of St. Andrew.

      * The P symbols signify major fixed dates to be made permanent on the calendar.

       Chapter 2

       A Historical Overview of Advent

      Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judah during the reign of Herod. The dates Herod governed (37 B.C.E.–4 C.E.) enable us to approximate the year of Jesus’ birth, but we do not know the time of year or the actual date. To add to the mystery, we do not know for certain when or why the feast of Christmas was set by the church on December 25. Literature about the early church before the fourth century mentions little regarding the Christmas festivals. When these feasts are mentioned, their origins are not discussed, only the fact that the feasts are kept. Late fourth-century texts tell us that the birth of Jesus was celebrated as the Epiphany, on January 6, in the East and as Christmas, on December 25, in the West. Advent is not mentioned until much later, toward the end of the sixth century.

      Joseph went to [Bethlehem to] be registered with Mary, to whom he was engaged and who was expecting a child.

      —Luke 2:5

      By the end of the fourth century, the Christian calendar was essentially as it is today. The church had yet to discern whether a prescribed preparation for the feast of the Nativity was in order and, if so, what its shape and tone would be. The Advent season that eventually evolved depended on the Christmas-Epiphany interval. So, to appreciate Advent, we need to explore the development of Christmas.

      Clement of Alexandria, a Greek philosopher who converted to Christianity about 190, wrote and taught in defense of Christianity. From his writings we can surmise that as early as 150 the birth of Christ was celebrated on January 6 in both the East and the West. Early Christians dated key events in Jesus’ life based on the Jewish calendar, nature’s seasons, and a date that agreed somewhat with other dates from his life. Once the date of the crucifixion was determined and Jesus’ age was estimated, January 6 was deemed a sensible birth date.

      The Egyptians’ epiphany of the rebirth of their sun god may also have had a role in the January date. Celebrations of the divine child, Horus, were held at the end of the twelfth night after the winter solstice. Christians may have appropriated this feast to commemorate the birth of the Son of God.1

      Ancient cultures lived by the sun and moon. Annually, the winter solstice and the lengthening days that followed were cause for great celebration. Ancient existence was influenced by the sun, which dictated the time to work and the time to rest, but most importantly, provided vitality to crops. As a result, the sun was deified. The religious ceremonies that celebrated the sun god may have influenced when and how Christmas is celebrated in the West. How much of a role specific worship of a sun god played in establishing our Christmas is unknown, but the most prominent pagan religious practices in and around Rome, including the Saturnalia, Mithraism, and Deus Sol Invictus, no doubt influenced the terrain of our Christmas feast.

      The Roman Saturnalia was a week-long celebration of wild joy, from December 17 to 24, to honor the Italian deity Saturnus, or Saturn, the god of agriculture and time. Some Christians held that Saturn was in reality a prototype of Adam or Noah. Legend has it that when Noah first sighted the mountaintops above the subsiding flood, he held a feast in honor of Adam. Noah’s feast instituted the Saturnalia.2 Celebrations included the greening of homes, candle lighting, singing and gift giving. Goodwill to all prevailed, with equality between the rich and the poor, and the courts closed so that no one could be convicted of crime. The slaves were freed for the week and, during the feasting, were allowed to speak their minds and eat their fill while served by their masters. The theme of goodwill to all and many of the festive customs observed today find their roots in this ancient festival.

      Twelve days after the winter solstice and peak of Saturnalia, December 21, came the

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