Do you fast during Advent?

[The_Reginator]

Not growing up a Catholic I didn’t realize that there was a time where people fasted during Advent. For us it was a time of preparation for Christmas.
We didn’t decorate until a week or two before Christmas day. Carols were not heard until, say, the week before.
And our tree only went up 2-3 days before the feast began. It often went up on Christmas eve.
However, my mother, having baked for weeks, didn’t bring out any treats until the evening of Christmas day. That’s the closest we got to “fasting”.
Maybe this year I’ll try fasting to the same extent I do during Lent.

 

[roveau]

I won’t be fasting for advent (apart from the fish on Friday custom) but I will be giving up something for Advent but haven’t decided what yet. I’ll really be looking forward to Christmas this year!

 

[puzzleannie]

Not growing up a Catholic I didn’t realize that there was a time where people fasted during Advent. For us it was a time of preparation for Christmas.
We didn’t decorate until a week or two before Christmas day. Carols were not heard until, say, the week before.
And our tree only went up 2-3 days before the feast began. It often went up on Christmas eve.
However, my mother, having baked for weeks, didn’t bring out any treats until the evening of Christmas day. That’s the closest we got to “fasting”.
Maybe this year I’ll try fasting to the same extent I do during Lent.

sounds like the way I was raised, and how we raised our children, to “fast” from premature Christmas, and keep Advent a season of waiting in hope and preparation. No parties in Advent, decorations go up the 4th Sunday (or 3rd at the earliest), at that time we still did abstain from meat on vigils of feasts so our Christmas eve meal was clam chowder, finan haddie, slaw or sauerkraut, and potato cakes.

the baking was packed in tins to give as gifts, and only some saved for the family. my mother made fruitcake for years, the kind her mom had made, the kind you finish in October and keep ladeling brandy over for weeks. now that is my idea of cake

we had a crib set on the mantel, but the stable was empty and the kids made a game of moving Mary and Joseph closer each day. Mom hid baby Jesus, and the little ones tried to find Him when it was time to put Him in the manger. Then until Epiphany we moved the wise men closer, but to a different location in the house each night, not in a straight line. I think I told this story before, but grandma gave us a camel from a trip to Egypt, made of leather, with an elaborate saddle. He was out of scale (think Godzilla) to the wise men, but he went with them on their journey. After a few years he started to leak–he was stuffed with sand, and left a trail of sand all the way, until finally he just collapsed.

 

[hdog]

no i do not fast during advent

 

[crazzeto]

I’ve been on a conversion from Cultural / Cafeteria Catholic to real Catholic. So I’m probably going to start paying closer attention to fasting durring penatent seasons, and I’m contemplating things to give up for the season.