Today marks the First Sunday of Advent and the first post of our
Viriditas Interfaith Advent Calendar, “Journey into Light.” Here
in Northern England, I find myself plunging into the depths of
midwinter darkness. It is in this womb of night and stillness
that the Light is reborn. Through the ages and across cultures,
world faith traditions have marked this sacred passage through
the darkness, as our guest bloggers shall explore in the coming
days of Advent. In Christian tradition, Advent is a period of
expectant waiting, of anticipating the birth of Christ. The word
Advent comes from the Latin adventus, which means “coming.” This
First Sunday of Advent marks the beginning of the Western
Christian liturgical year. The Advent wreath and Advent calendar
are relatively recent innovations. Christmas and Advent
celebrations have gone through many permutations throughout
history, as our guest bloggers will reveal, from boisterous
celebrations with mummers and feasting to Oliver Cromwell’s
Puritan backlash in which h