Every year, about four weeks before Christmas, Catholic churches change colour. The vestments turn violet, the Gloria goes quiet on Sundays, and a wreath with four candles appears near the altar and on many kitchen tables. This is Advent, the season of waiting for the coming of Christ.
It is easy to miss Advent altogether, squeezed between the end of autumn and the rush of December. This guide explains what the season is, when it falls in 2026, what its customs mean, and how to pray through it simply, even in a busy month.
What Advent is
The word comes from the Latin adventus, "coming". Advent is the season of the four Sundays before Christmas, and it opens the Church's liturgical year: the first Sunday of Advent is the Church's New Year's Day. Our guide to the liturgical year shows how Advent fits with the other seasons.
Advent is often mistaken for a small Lent because both use violet. It is not. The Church describes Advent as a time of "devout and joyful expectation" (Universal Norms on the Liturgical Year and the Calendar, 39). The mood is not penance for its own sake but readiness: the way you wait for someone you love who is on the way. There is some sobriety in it, and the Gloria is left out on Sundays so that it rings out fresh at Christmas, but the Alleluia stays.
Advent 2026 dates
| Day | Date |
|---|---|
| First Sunday of Advent | Sunday 29 November |
| Second Sunday of Advent | Sunday 6 December |
| Third Sunday of Advent (Gaudete) | Sunday 13 December |
| Fourth Sunday of Advent | Sunday 20 December |
| Advent ends | Thursday 24 December, before Evening Prayer |
Advent formally begins with Evening Prayer on the Saturday before the first Sunday, and it ends before Evening Prayer on 24 December, when the celebration of Christmas begins.
Two parts: two comings
The season looks in two directions at once.
- From the first Sunday until 16 December, the readings turn our attention to Christ's second coming at the end of time. They speak of watching, staying awake and being ready.
- From 17 to 24 December, the focus narrows to preparing for Christmas, the celebration of his first coming at Bethlehem. The weekday Gospels tell the story of the events leading up to his birth.
This is why the first Sunday begins not with a manger but with a warning to keep awake.
The Sunday readings in 2026
Advent 2026 begins liturgical year 2027, so the Sunday readings follow Year B, the year of Mark's Gospel (weekdays follow Year I). The first Sunday reads Mark 13:33–37, Jesus' call to be watchful:
Mark 13:33
"Watch, keep alert, and pray; for you don’t know when the time is."
The second Sunday opens Mark's Gospel with John the Baptist, who takes up the words of the prophet Isaiah:
Isaiah 40:3
"The voice of one who calls out, “Prepare the way of the LORD in the wilderness! Make a level highway in the desert for our God."
In Year B the third Sunday turns to John the Baptist in John's Gospel, and the fourth to the Annunciation in Luke. Paul gives the season its note of urgency:
Romans 13:12
"The night is far gone, and the day is near. Let’s therefore throw off the deeds of darkness, and let’s put on the armor of light."
Colours: violet and rose
The colour of Advent is violet, the colour of waiting and preparation. On the third Sunday, rose may be worn instead. That Sunday is called Gaudete, "rejoice", from the first word of its entrance antiphon, taken from Paul:
Philippians 4:4–5
"Rejoice in the Lord always! Again I will say, “Rejoice!” Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand."
Gaudete marks the turn past the season's halfway point: Christmas is close, and the waiting lightens.
The Advent wreath
The Advent wreath is a ring of evergreens with four candles, one lit on the first Sunday, two on the second, and so on, so the light grows as Christmas draws near. A common pattern is three violet candles and one rose candle, the rose lit on Gaudete Sunday. Customs vary: some families use four white or red candles, and some add a white "Christ candle" in the centre for Christmas.
The wreath is a home and parish custom, not a requirement of the liturgy. It is a lovely way to mark the weeks: light the candles before a meal and say a short prayer. Many parishes bless wreaths on or before the first Sunday.
The O Antiphons (17–23 December)
In the last week before Christmas, the Church prays seven short antiphons at Evening Prayer, sung before the Magnificat, and uses them as the Gospel acclamation at Mass. Each calls on Christ by a title from the Old Testament and ends with a plea to come:
- 17 December: O Wisdom (O Sapientia)
- 18 December: O Lord (O Adonai)
- 19 December: O Root of Jesse (O Radix Jesse)
- 20 December: O Key of David (O Clavis David)
- 21 December: O Dayspring, or Rising Sun (O Oriens)
- 22 December: O King of the Nations (O Rex Gentium)
- 23 December: O Emmanuel (O Emmanuel)
A traditional explanation points out that the first letters of the Latin titles, read backwards from the last, spell ERO CRAS: "tomorrow I will come." It is a well-loved reading rather than something the Church teaches, but it fits the eve of Christmas beautifully. The hymn "O Come, O Come, Emmanuel" is based on these antiphons.
Advent customs around the world
A few of the customs Catholics keep in Advent:
- Rorate Masses. Masses of Our Lady celebrated before dawn by candlelight, named after the Latin opening words "Rorate caeli", "drop down dew, you heavens" (Isaiah 45:8). In Poland they are called roraty, and children often bring lanterns.
- St Nicholas, 6 December. In many countries children receive small gifts from St Nicholas. In 2026, 6 December is a Sunday, so the Sunday of Advent is celebrated at Mass instead of his memorial, but the family custom remains.
- The Immaculate Conception, 8 December. A solemnity celebrating Mary conceived without original sin, and a holy day of obligation in many countries. Check your diocese for local rules.
- Our Lady of Guadalupe, 12 December. Celebrated with great devotion in Mexico and across the Americas.
- Posadas and Simbang Gabi. In Mexico and other parts of Latin America, the nine nights from 16 to 24 December are kept with las posadas, re-enacting Mary and Joseph's search for lodging. In the Philippines, Simbang Gabi is a novena of Masses at dawn or in the evening over the same nine days.
A simple daily Advent plan
You do not need an elaborate programme. Ten or fifteen minutes a day is plenty:
- Read the Gospel of the day. The Advent readings were chosen for this season, so simply following them is the most direct way to live it. Find today's reading on our Gospel of the day page, and see how to read the Gospel of the day for a five-minute way to pray with it.
- Keep a few minutes of quiet. Advent is about waiting, and waiting needs some silence. Sit with one line of the Gospel without your phone.
- Look back at night. The evening examen takes a few minutes: where was God in today, and where did I miss him?
- Do one act of charity. A visit, a call, a donation, patience with someone difficult. Preparing for Christ includes making room for others.
- Go to confession before Christmas. Many parishes hold extra confession times or penance services in Advent. If it has been a while, our guide on how to go to confession walks you through it.
If you miss a day, simply pick up with today's Gospel. Advent is not a test to pass.
Common questions
When does Advent start in 2026? Advent 2026 starts on Sunday 29 November, with Evening Prayer on the Saturday before. It lasts until 24 December.
Why does Advent start on a different date each year? Advent always has four Sundays before Christmas, so it begins on the Sunday closest to 30 November. The date moves with the day of the week on which Christmas falls.
Is Advent a time of fasting like Lent? No, Advent is not a penitential season like Lent and has no required fasting. It is a season of joyful, watchful preparation, though many people choose small sacrifices to prepare their hearts.
What do the candles on the Advent wreath mean? Each candle marks one Sunday of Advent, so the growing light shows Christmas coming closer. The rose candle is lit on the third Sunday, Gaudete, the Sunday of joy.
Praying Advent with Haven
Haven brings the Gospel of the day to your phone each morning, so through Advent you can follow the same readings as the whole Church, with a short written reflection and prayer. In the evening, the free evening examen helps you look back on the day, and Haven Premium's guided examination of conscience can help you prepare for confession before Christmas.
Scripture quotations are from the World English Bible (public domain).