On the 1st of December, people were not only opening their much-anticipated chocolate advent calendars but also digital calendars designed and built by our expert team. Whether you are into chocolate, beauty, pictures or discounts, there are advent calendars in all shapes and sizes to choose from. But where did it all start and what is the history of an advent calendar?
What Is Advent?
Advent is a period of four weeks which begins on November the 30th to mark the feast day of St. Andrew the Apostle.
The word ‘Advent’ is actually derived from the Latin phrase ‘coming toward.’ The idea of recognising the period of advent dates back to the late 19th century in German, as many Christmas themed traditions do. It started with Lutherans making marks on doors in simple chalk from the 1st of December to the 24th, a far cry from how we celebrate it now!
History Of The Advent Calendar
Our modern-day advent calendars don’t usually begin on November the 30th but on December the 1st to mark 24 days until Christmas. Today, the majority of advent calendars include doors that open to reveal an image, piece of chocolate, small gift or more traditionally a bible verse.
It is said that the very first advent calendars may have originated in Austria, or in Germany. It is claimed that in Germany a mother stuck 24 sweets to a piece of cardboard for her son to eat throughout the period of advent. This idea is said to have remained with the boy into adulthood when he opened a printing office responsible for the first-ever printed version of an advent calendar in 1908. They then moved on to create an advent calendar with 24 little doors.
This simplistic calendar has informed those that we see today, no matter the difference in shape, size and the treats inside. Even our digital advent calendars are based upon the advent calendars history, with 12 or 24 doors which viewers can return to open every day to see the treats inside.
If you fancy doing something different for an occasion, then why not consider our online calendars, get in touch with our team today!