Colorado: On the eve of the First Sunday of Advent falling this year on November 30 the universal Church is reminding the faithful not to let the Christmas season slip in unnoticed. With less than four weeks separating Advent’s opening and the celebration of the Nativity, Catholic tradition offers a rich tapestry of hymnody, symbolism, and liturgical rhythms to help believers enter the season with intentionality, reflection, and joyful expectation.
Advent, often described as a gentle spiritual ascent toward the mystery of the Incarnation, can easily be overshadowed by the hurried pace of year-end festivities. The Church, however, invites the faithful to slow down and allow themselves to be drawn into the profound joy of God becoming man. Through music, liturgical colours, sacred silence, and the feast days embedded in the calendar, Advent becomes a deliberate journey rather than a rushed countdown.
Sacred music is one of the most powerful tools the Church offers during Advent. Traditional hymns capture the longing of a world waiting for its Redeemer and help cultivate what Pope Francis once described as a “horizon of hope.”
Among them, the ancient chant “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel” stands as the quintessential Advent song its haunting melody merging sorrow for humanity’s captivity to sin with a deep yearning for God’s promised salvation.
Other beloved hymns, including “O Come Divine Messiah” and “People Look East,” echo the rising hope of a people awaiting divine intervention. Meanwhile, the Spanish carol “Alepun” blends rhythmic percussion with imagery of a pregnant Mary journeying toward Bethlehem, inviting listeners to join in the quiet suspense of approaching redemption.
The visual language of the Church also becomes a teacher during Advent. Like a “little Lent,” the season is rooted in penance yet suffused with anticipation. This dual character is reflected in the liturgical colours:
• Purple, signifying repentance and preparation
• Rose, marking the joy of Gaudete Sunday, the moment when Advent’s solemnity brightens in anticipation of Christmas
Interestingly, the purple used in Advent traditionally carries a subtle blue undertone, symbolizing the strong Marian focus of the season an acknowledgment of the Blessed Virgin’s central role in the unfolding mystery.
The subdued décor of parish churches during Advent no altar flowers, minimal instrumental music, and the absence of the Gloria creates a deliberate emptiness. This spiritual quiet makes room for the celebratory crescendo that begins with the Immaculate Conception on December 8 and continues with the gentle lifting of restraint on Gaudete Sunday, when flowers and brighter tones reappear as early signs of Christmas joy.
Advent’s placement in the liturgical calendar is intentional. Following the Feast of Christ the King, the season opens with the powerful theme of Christ’s return in glory before gradually turning toward the humble manger in Bethlehem.
This reflective progression is mirrored in the sparse number of saints’ feast days just five in total most of whom carry deep ties to Christmas traditions around the world.
Notable among them are:
• St. Nicholas (Dec. 6): the model of Christian generosity whose legacy inspired traditions of gift-giving
• St. Lucy (Dec. 13): the martyr who wore candles on her head to bring light and charity into the catacombs
• The Immaculate Conception (Dec. 8): a solemnity placing Mary at the forefront of the liturgical year, celebrating her as the “full of grace” vessel prepared for the Savior
Together with Our Lady of Guadalupe (Dec. 12), these celebrations show how Advent is both a Marian season and a time of deep spiritual preparation, pointing to what God accomplishes in a soul open to His grace.
The Church’s array of hymns, symbols, and celebrations are not merely decorative aspects of the calendar they are invitations to rediscover the meaning of Advent as a season of watchful waiting. Through these traditions, believers can build a quiet, joyful anticipation that culminates in the radiant celebration of Christmas.
And with Advent’s first candle soon to be lit, the message is clear: let the season prepare your heart so that Christmas does not arrive as a surprise, but as a cherished fulfilment long awaited.