What is the season of Advent?

Advent is the liturgical season of four weeks preceding Christmas, beginning on the Sunday closest to November 30 (the feast of St. Andrew) and ending on December 24. The word 'Advent' comes from the Latin adventus, meaning 'coming' or 'arrival.' Advent has a dual focus: (1) Preparation for Christmas — remembering and celebrating Christ's first coming as a baby in Bethlehem. (2) Anticipation of Christ's second coming at the end of time. The liturgical color is purple (or violet), symbolizing penance and preparation, with rose (pink) used on the Third Sunday of Advent (Gaudete Sunday), which marks a shift toward joy as Christmas approaches. The Advent wreath is a popular devotion: four candles (three purple, one rose) are lit progressively each Sunday, often with a white Christ candle in the center lit on Christmas. Other Advent traditions include the Jesse Tree (tracing salvation history), Advent calendars, the O Antiphons (December 17-23), and the Rorate Mass (a dawn Mass celebrated by candlelight). Advent calls Catholics to watchfulness, repentance, and hopeful anticipation.