Advent - History and Tradition
Origin of traditions 
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Advent refers to the arrival of something or someone, a moment of preparation. A tradition of family gatherings has emerged to this day in anticipation of the arrival of Christmas, from the 1st to the 24th of December, in anticipation of the most magical and awaited day of the year. The objective is to carry out small acts, rituals and activities that strengthen bonds and celebrate love and gratitude.
A few years ago, Advent Calendars for Christmas began to appear in decoration stores and supermarkets, usually with a chocolate inside each window.
The Advent Calendar is one of the memories that many of us keep from our childhood days. Those 24 days before Christmas were always very sweet, with a free pass for chocolate that helped with the countdown. Who would have thought that this tradition is already very old?
The history of the advent calendar began in the 19th century, in Germany, as a Protestant tradition around Christmas. Until the 16th century, children received their gifts on Saint Nicholas Day (December 6). However, the reformer of the Catholic Church, Martin Luther, a central figure of the Protestant Reformation, rejected the veneration of saints and changed the tradition. From then on, the exchange of gifts began to take place at Christmas.
Catholic families also later adopted Adventskalender and the tradition spread throughout Germany and then to other countries.
Currently, there are Advent Calendars for all tastes – every year they are reinvented by different brands, with perfumes, wine, jewelry, cosmetics, lottery draws and even clothing items. Many are also homemade and personalized according to each family's tastes.
In some German cities, the tradition is so strong that the Adventskalender are gigantic in size!
The most famous is in the center of Leipzig. It measures 857 square meters and every day, at 4 pm, from December 1st to 24th, a window opens, where Christmas motifs appear. There are currently others such as the Gengenbach City Hall building, in Southern Germany, which in 2021 was considered the largest in the world.
Curious, isn't it? There really are traditions that deserve to be known. It's no wonder that Germany, full of traditions, Christmas Markets and Advent Calendars, is a very popular destination at this time of year!