Advent

Advent means “Arrival” and mark the 4 Sundays before Christmas Eve and with theat the arrival of Jesus. Advent is celebrated in Sweden as the true start of Christmas preparations, even though the latter seem to be happening earlier and earlier each year. Most Swedish homes will have an Advent Candlestick with room for 4 candles and you light one candle for every Sunday, starting on November 27 at the earliest and December 6 at the latest. This tradition started with lighting 7 candles in A christmas tree, at a cloister in Stockholm in the late 1870s. In the early 1920’s the advent candle stick became popular. Usually the burning is staggered so they get a perfect diagonal shape! Not like a Menorah, when the candles burn down each night. The above mentioned electric candlesticks are shaped like inverted Vs and have 5, 7 or 9 lights.