Vintage Christmas Card #3

Embossed Vintage Christmas Card

 Tomorrow, Guest Author Allison Knight on A Medieval Christmas        Rita Bay 

 

 

The Celebration of Advent

 

Advent Wreath

The celebration of Advent is a Christian holiday that is becoming increasingly popular. Advent wreaths or calendars celebrate the coming (advent) of Christmas, the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ. Advent can be traced to the fifth century when a six-week fast started on St Martin’s Day on November 11^th and continued to Christmas. Originally, Advent was similar to Lent, a period of six weeks of fasting and prayer before Easter.  By the sixth century, Advent was celebrated for four weeks without fasting.

Advent wreaths are visual symbols of Advent. Constructed of greenery and decorated with ribbons, the wreaths contain four candles. In the Catholic church, three of the four candles are purple which symbolize penitence, fasting, and royalty. The third week’s candle is pink or rose to celebrate the joy of the coming Christmas holiday. In Protestant churches blue candles. In the home, the first week a single candle is lighted each evening, often at dinner, with a prayer. The second week, a second candle is lit in addition to the first, and so on. By the fourth week, all candles burn.

Advent Calendar

Advent calendars were popularized by returning military from Germany who brought the tradition back to America. Most designs have some form of numbering that counts down to December 25^th. My own calendar is a treasured green tree on red felt that was a family gift. Each of the 25 pockets below contained hand-made felt ornaments that are hung on the tree daily throughout the month. (See pic at left)

Tomorrow, A Christmas Pic from the Past   Rita Bay

Vintage Postcard: Holiday Greetings

Vintage Holiday Greeting Card c. 1920

Welcome to Rita Bay’s month of Holiday Celebrations. The whole blog has been refurbished with a holiday decor to celebrate the December Holidays.  Each day guests will be treated to century-old vintage  holiday postcards (from my packrat family’s stash), classic pics, and other treats that scream Christmas.  But, as always, there’ll be loads of info you won’t find any other place. Guests bloggers will take you into the past–ancient Scotland, Medieval England, and Regency Britain–to celebrate Christmas. Test recipes from the kitchens of the past (a centuries-old Spice Cake to die for) and the present (a decadent guilt-free, low-carb dessert). Finally, we’ll look at Christmas in its historical context.

Besides the Christian celebrations, we’ll check out ancient pagan celebrations that predate Christmas, like the Romans’ Saturnalia and the Celtic Winter Solstice. Then, we’ll move to more modern, non-religious holidays like Kwanza, Boxing Day, and Festivus. Visit Rita Bay’s Blog each day to see what’s happening.

Tomorrow, Advent & the Advent Wreath    Rita Bay