WA Advent 2025 - Tuesday 2nd December
Welcome to Day 2 of our WA Advent Calendar 2025!
One of the lovely things about Advent is that it looks and feels different wherever you go.
Now WA has members in many, many countries around the world, and some may celebrate Advent, and some may not. Wherever you are, I know that every country will add its own flavour to their Advent traditions, yet the heart of it stays the same with a gentle countdown to however you want to celebrate hope and new beginnings.
For centuries, Pagans have celebrated the winter solstice as Yule on or around the 21st December, and many traditions also celebrate a type of mid-winter festival.
Now, of course, it's only winter in the Northern Hemisphere, and if you're in the Southern Hemisphere, you'll be coming up to the height of summer. Just another interesting fact that often gets forgotten at this time of year.
Traditions around the world
So, in honour of the diversity that is Wealthy Affiliate, here are some beautiful and sometimes delightfully quirky traditions from around the world:
• Germany – The birthplace of the modern Advent calendar. Families often light an Advent wreath and visit festive markets filled with crafts, gingerbread and warm spiced drinks.
• Sweden – Advent blends with the Festival of St Lucia on 13 December. Homes glow with candles and saffron buns are shared to welcome the light into winter.
• Philippines – People celebrate Simbang Gabi, a joyful series of nine dawn masses. Parols, bright star-shaped lanterns, hang outside homes as a symbol of hope.
• Mexico – Las Posadas brings families and communities together for processions, songs and shared feasts, retelling the journey to Bethlehem.
• Denmark – Many homes use a “calendar candle” marked from 1 to 24, burning a little each day as families gather for cosy hygge evenings.
• Ethiopia – Advent forms part of a longer period of fasting and reflection leading to Ganna (Ethiopian Christmas) on 7 January.
• Iceland – Children look forward to the 13 Yule Lads, cheeky characters from Icelandic folklore who leave small gifts or potatoes in shoes depending on behaviour.
• Austria – Some towns host lively Krampuslauf parades, where people dress as Krampus, a horned figure from Alpine stories. It’s a dramatic counterpoint to the calmness of Advent.
• Catalonia (Spain) – Children care for the charming Tió de Nadal, a smiley-faced wooden log. They feed it treats during Advent and give it a playful tap on Christmas Eve for small surprises.
• Beach-season Advent – Since December is hot, many people mark the season with barbecues, beach trips and summer fairs rather than wintry gatherings.
Happy Advent, wherever you are in the world. Let me know in the comments below if you have any Advent traditions in your part of the globe that you indulge in - serious, quirky or just a bit bonkers!
Gail
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Recent Comments
36
I do not enjoy our hot Christmases in Australia, I really need to travel somewhere to get some snow again.
I don't know if it is still a thing, but there was a while here that had a beer a day advent calendar.
From your list, I can be a bit Grinchy at times so maybe I should head to Austria. 🤔
Sounds like a plan to me Elyta! I was in Uganda/Zaire (as it was then) one Christmas, but I didn't mind the warm weather because I was in the middle of the mountains trekking with mountain gorillas. No Advent, but an amazing experience.
That sounds fantastic. Africa is on my very long travel list. I would love to be there in migration season, I am told it is amazing to see.
Hey Gail,
Indeed, in Sweden this is a major thing. As you mentioned about Denmark, we also have the candle calendar, marked from 1 to 4, four Sundays before Christmas. Each Sunday, a different candle is lit.
This year, the decorations started on the 30th of November, which was the first Advent. Every house has decorated its windows with Advent stars, a star-shaped lantern made of paper or metal and hung in the window.
There is also a tradition where small children receive a calendar, like the one in your featured image. This calendar usually contains small chocolate pieces shaped in various Christmas-related forms. The kids open one each day until Christmas Day, when behind door 24 a big chocolate Santa is hiding. :)
Advent also marks the beginning of the Christmas markets.
Oh, there are so many things to say about this! :)
Maria
Yes, the lights and the various traditions make up for the fact that it's cold - at least in the Northern Hemisphere.
Yes, exactly. So few daylight hours, and sometimes it doesn't seem to get light all day.
Yes, and it depends on where you are located. In the north, it’s completely dark, farther south, there are only a couple of hours of natural light.
So you need all the advent candles and Christmas lights you can get to stay cheerful. 🙂
Thank you, Gail. I come from Austria. We have advent wreaths and on the first Sunday of Advent one candle gets lit, on the second, two, on the third three, and then four, and it's Christmas.
The 5th of December is the day of the Krampus. It's supposed to punish naughty children, and then they are good on the 6th of December when St. Nicholas comes and brings gifts - peanuts, satsumas, figs, little chocolate Krampus and St. Nicholas figures. St. Nicholas is a sort of 'good King Wenceslas' figure. He was a bishop in Myra, a town that's now in Turkey. He lived in the 4th century and was famous for his generosity and charitable actions.
And thank you for your interesting nuggets from around the world. One of my pupil's next homework is 'The History of Christmas' and 'Christmas around the world.' So I have a good grounding here already.
Look forward to tomorrow and your advent calendar for tomorrow.
Thanks, Isabella. I was going to do something about St Nicholas and 6th December in the calendar, so thanks for this. And HAPPY BIRTHDAY for today.
Thank you so much. I did have a lovely day - sunshine in the morning and long walk with my dog - trip to the Cotwolds Outlet near Tewkesbury in the afternoon. Lovely Christmas lights there.
Just noticed your new profile picture. You are getting younger, and you look full of energy. Have a great day. The sun is shining here. 🙂🙂
Haha - yes indeed - must be the cool winter air! That was an Image Studio avatar that it created from a real photo! Who am I to complain?! LOL
Hi Gail, I really loved reading about the different traditions. I especially liked Iceland's tradition. It sounds like so much fun. I also liked the tradition of Catalonia. Just imagining a smiley faced log is making me smile right now.
Thanks for writing such a delightful blog post. I enjoyed it very much.
Thanks, JarieLyn. So pleased it is raising a smile. What would the world be if we couldn't do that once in a while?
I think the Iceland one is my favourite too - hope we have some WAers from Iceland who can tell us what it's really like!
All the best. Gail
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I find it fascinating to learn about all the different Advent traditions from around the world. Another interesting aspect of Advent celebrations is that the early Protestant settlers in America didn't really celebrate Christmas, considering it a pagan practice. I believe it was mostly with the arrival of large numbers of Catholics in the early 1800s that it started to become a major holiday here.
I didn't know that so thanks for sharing. You're right about it being fascinating. I love all the variety - that's what makes life so fun. Thanks for your comments here, Bryce.