(Latin: adventus, coming)

Period of prayer and fasting in preparation for Christmas; anniversary of the Birth or Coming of Christ, including four Sundays, the first the nearest to the feast of Saint Andrew (November 30,); it may be as early as November 27, and as late as December 3,. It is the beginning of the ecclesiastical year in the Western Church. Its early history is obscure. It was observed in Spain in the 7th century. The Divine Office and the Sunday Masses are a most devout preparation for the Christmas feast. Altar drapery and vestments are violet except on third Sunday, when rose color is used, and feasts. See also