There are many quirky Christmas traditions, from putting fairy lights on the tree to hanging a stocking at the bottom of the bed. One of the most interesting of all though is the Advent calendar – but what is the story behind it?
What is Advent?
Before we can go any further, we should clear up precisely what Advent is. It is the part of the season for Christians that comes before Christmas. Advent begins four Sundays ahead of Christmas Day and finishes on Christmas Eve. The actual word ‘Advent’ is taken from ‘adventus’, which is a Latin word that means arrival. It is a reference to the birth of Jesus.
How did Advent calendars come about?
Advent calendars were a German invention during the 19th century, and they were used for counting down the days until Christmas. The earliest ones saw people make marks on doors with chalk, light one candle per day or hang one picture each day.
It was not until the start of the 20th century that physical Advent calendars were created. The man who that is attributed to is Gerhard Lang and he based it on a calendar with sweets given to him as a boy by his mother. His commercial version used Christmas pictures instead though.
The calendar doors continued to house religious pictures rather than sweets until 1958. That was when Richard Sellmer came up with the idea of adding small chocolates and it was a big hit. The Advent calendar we know and love today had arrived as part of the festive season.
