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Customs and Folklore
The most perfect way
to embrace the spirit of Advent is to attend daily Mass and pray
the Liturgy of the Hours. If this is not possible, try smaller
goals, such as attending one extra mass during the week; praying
the Saturday Evening Prayer with the family in preparation for
Sunday; reading and discussing the readings of the Mass of the
day with the family.
The members of the domestic church should also try to receive
the Sacrament of Penance during the Advent season to prepare for
the coming of Christ “for it is not possible coherently to
celebrate the birth of him ‘who saves his people from their
sins’ without some effort to overcome sin in one’s own life.”
(Directory on Popular Piety, #105)
There are many customs that can be incorporated in the domestic
church to teach and reinforce the Advent spirit. For example,
the first Sunday of Advent is a good time for each family member
to choose a secret "Christkindl" or Christ Child for whom he or
she will perform little acts of love - such as a prayer, a small
gift, a sacrifice, a note or a piece of candy - throughout
Advent.
Another such Advent practice is that of having an empty crib or
manger, which each family member will soften with straw earned
by a sacrifice, a prayer or a work of mercy. After Christmas,
the family will gather before the Infant Savior, in his
now-padded crib, for their evening prayers or for Scripture
reading.
In the Activities section you will find suggestions and
directions for such customs as Preparing the Manger, an Advent
Wreath, Christmas Novena, and the O Antiphons, the Jesse Tree
and the Advent calendar. All these traditions involve a
countdown, or some action performed each day in anticipation of
Christ’s birth.
When employing new Advent customs within your domestic church it
is important to remember that they are only aids, not goals in
themselves. With joyful hope and anticipation, then, let us
prepare for the coming of the Son of God, praying with the
Church: Come, Lord Jesus, do not delay!
The Advent Wreath -
History and Assembly
 The Advent wreath is an old German
tradition that has gained much popularity in the last few years.
Most Christian homes and communities practice this custom during
the Advent season. This sacramental is rich in meaning, is easy
to implement and can either be simple, costing little, or very
elaborate, costing more, handmade or storebought, with fresh
greenery, or permanent greens.
The Advent wreath is a wreath, or circle, of evergreens, made in
various sizes. It is either suspended from the ceiling by
ribbons (preferably purple) or placed on a table. The devotion
is usually incorporated during the family meal, or during family
night prayers. Fastened to the wreath are four candles standing
upright, at equal distances. These candles represent the four
weeks of Advent. Three of the candles are purple, reminding us
of the penitential nature of the season. A rose or pink candle
is lit for the Third Sunday of Advent, also known as Gaudete
(rejoice) Sunday. The name is taken from the entrance antiphon
or Introit "Rejoice (gaudete) in the Lord always, again I say,
rejoice." It is reminding us that the end of Advent is almost
here, and we can hardly contain our joy.
The wreath should be in a circle, a symbol of eternity, and a
reminder that God has no beginning nor end. The evergreen is a
symbol of eternal life and a reminder that God is immutable or
unchangeable.
The appearance of the actual Advent wreath is varied—everyone
has their own interpretation of the Advent wreath. The look of
your family's wreath depends on how much time and creativity you
have to devote. Your family can create their own special wreath,
or add personal touches to a store-bought wreath. With this
devotion being so popular, one can go into any craft or garden
store and buy a wreath. Any religious goods store carries
several varieties, and the prices range from inexpensive to very
costly.
Some families want to create a new wreath every year, with
everyone involved in the activity. Using evergreens, however,
does add the risk of fire hazard, especially as the greens go
dry. For less risk, or with smaller children or tight schedules,
you may want to consider making a permanent wreath that you can
reuse every Advent.
Preparing the Manger
 Preparing the manger is the practice
of preparing a soft bedding in the manger for the Christ Child
by using little wisps of straw as tokens of prayers and good
works performed through the penitential season of Advent. This
is originally a French custom that quickly spread to other
countries. Every night the child is allowed to put in the crib
one straw for each act of devotion, good work or sacrifice
performed. "Thus the Christ Child, coming on Christmas Day,
finds an ample supply of tender straw to keep Him warm and to
soften the hardness of the manger's boards." — from Handbook of
Christian Feasts and Customs by Francis X. Weiser, S.J., 1958.
The Jesse Tree
The representation of the Tree of
Jesse is based upon the prophecy of Isaiah 11:1-2:
And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a
branch shall grow out of his roots: and the spirit of the Lord
shall rest upon him: the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the
spirit of counsel and fortitude, the spirit of knowledge, and of
the fear of the Lord.
In works of art the genealogy of Christ (based on Matthew 1) is
frequently shown in the form of a tree which springs from Jesse,
the father of David, and bears as its fruit the various
ancestors of Christ.
 The Jesse Tree symbols transform a Christmas tree into a "family
tree" of Christ, since each ornament is a symbol of an ancestor
or of a prophecy which foretells his coming. Some of the symbols
included are the sun, the tablets of the Law, the key of David,
Bethlehem, the root of Jesse, Noah's ark, the Ark of the
Covenant, the altar of holocaust, the apple, the Paschal Lamb,
the pillar of fire, manna, the star of David, Jacob's ladder,
Jonah in the whale, the Temple, the crown and the scepter, the
sword of Judith, and the burning bush.
The sun represents Christ as bringing eternal life and light,
and is based on the prophecy of Malachi: "But unto you that fear
my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his
wings." The six-pointed Star of David symbolizes the lineage of
Christ from the royal house of David. The burning bush
symbolizes the Virgin Birth, and the prophecy of the birth is
seen in the Bethlehem-emblem. The apple is a symbol of Christ,
who took upon himself the burden of man's sin, and Jacob's
ladder is interpreted as Christ reuniting mankind to God. The
ladder has also been interpreted in a moral sense, with each of
the fifteen rungs standing for a specific virtue. The lamb is
one of the favorite, and most frequently used, symbols of Christ
in all periods of Christian art. A typical reference is John
1:29, "The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith,
Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world."
Noah's ark is a symbol of baptism, and Jonah in the whale
symbolizes death and resurrection.
The stories of the Old Testament have been an unlimited source
of inspiration for the visual arts. The burning bush was the
subject of the triptych painted by Nicolas Froment in the
thirteenth century. The star of David was a popular symbol in
stained glass windows, as at the Cathedral of Lyons.
The Jesse Tree was an early form of design for the stained glass
windows of great cathedrals, such as Chartres. In the portrayal
of the descent of Christ from the line of David, there may be as
few as four or five figures or as many as fifty. The twisting
branches of the tree always start with Jesse and end at the top
with Christ. The Tree of Jesse window in the cathedral at
Chartres is full of meaning and symbolism. In the lowest panel
Jesse is lying upon a couch; from his loins rises the stem of a
tree which branches out into scrolls enclosing seated figures of
the sons of Jesse holding the branches. Next to the upper panel
is the Virgin; the upper panel holds the figure of Christ, much
larger, with the dove descending from above. On either side of
the panels in semicircular spaces are the prophets who foretell
the coming of Christ. A border of interlacing lines and flowers
resembling those in the center panel completes the design of
this famous window.
At Sens Cathedral the Jesse window is a little different, for it
shows not only the ancestors of Christ; a donkey on one of the
branches honors the animal that played so great a part in the
life of Jesus.
The Advent Jesse Tree is fairly recent practice, trying to
emphasize "Christ" in Christmas by studying His roots. A home
Jesse Tree can be a small evergreen tree, artificial or real,
bare branch set in a sturdy pot, or a wallhanging made of felt,
posterboard or wood. Each evening in Advent a new symbol is
placed on the tree, the Scripture verse is read and the
significance in Salvation History is explained. |
