Giving things up for Advent?

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Nik

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Hi everyone

So I’ve just been reading on another site that Catholics give up things for Advent in the same way that you do for Lent. Is that right, as I thought Advent was not a penitential season?

Sorry if this is a stupid question - I’m currently in RCIA and am trying to live as a Catholic as best I can while I discern if I am being called to enter into full communion with the Church.

Thanks :)🙂
 
Nik said:
So I’ve just been reading on another site that Catholics give up things for Advent in the same way that you do for Lent. Is that right,
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Correct. The pious tradition (not requirement of the Church) is to “give something up” during Lent.

There is no analogous tradition during advent.
Nik said:
I thought Advent was not a penitential season?
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Advent is a penitential season. It is a season of waiting and preparing for the Lord’s Incarnation.

But, it is not the same a Lent.
 
Sometimes people like to make up “traditions” so they feel like they’re accomplishing something important. I think that’s fine, so long as they then don’t start browbeating others to do the same.
 
I think there was a time when special things were saved for major holidays like Christmas. You didn’t generally get chocolates and special foods during Advent because you didn’t get them except at Christmas. The exception was saints’ days, like my grandfather said they got nuts and oranges and little chocolates for the feast of St. Nicolas.

When you’re poorer, you do without most of the time and save up to maybe be able to afford a few special things on special days.

I think those kinds of wait-until-Christmas traditions expressed themselves as things like “no candy until Christmas” during Advent. It does make the Christmas season seem more like a “season” when you don’t start enjoying Christmas things full force starting the day after Thanksgiving.
 
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Ok, all your replies make it a lot clearer - thank you. I guess I’ll just jump into all the advent services in my parish. I seem to find even if I’m not too sure what the service is that I’m attending before I go, it seems to make sense afterwards.
 
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In the East, both Catholic and Orthodox, we are in the middle of the Nativity Fast. It began November 15 and will go through December 25, 40 days. It is a much less strict fast as compared to the Lenten Fast.

ZP
 
Nik said:
So I’ve just been reading on another site that Catholics give up things for Advent in the same way that you do for Lent.
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IDK what you have been reading, but most Western (Latin) Catholics don’t do this. (The Eastern Catholics have a different tradition as Zia noted.) To be honest, these days the Church even kind of discourages Catholics from “giving things up” for Lent for various reasons. They would rather we participate in some activity like charitable helping and/or a daily prayer/Scripture/ reflection program like Best Advent Ever/ Best Lent Ever.

I have my own little program of what I do that I use year-round. I do not do anything special for Advent except maybe catch up on my charitable donations.

If you would like to do something special for Advent, it’s your choice and you can pick what you want to do. It’s an optional private devotion.
 
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Tbf i read it on a forum that seems a little less level headed than this one (I mean that in the best possible way!)

Our diocese has produced an Advent reflection guide so that might be the best way for me to go.
 
Monday, Wednesday’s and Fridays are strict fast days; on these days we abstain from meat, dairy, fish with backbones, fowl, alcoholic beverages, and olive oil.

Tuesday’s and Thursday’s the fasting discipline is relaxed a bit to permit wine and olive oil.

On Saturday’s and Sunday’s the fast is relaxed even more to permit fish with backbones in addition to wine and oil.

During the forefeast of the Nativity, from December 20-24 , our fasting is more strict. Each weekday that falls during this period is generally kept as a Strict Fast day, while any Saturday or Sunday is observed as a Wine and Oil day. The Eve of the Feast, December 24, however, is always kept as a Strict Fast day.

Foods that are permitted on all days are vegetables, fruits, grains, nuts, and shellfish.

There are a exceptions; The feast of the Entrance of the Theotokos into the Temple , November 21 , is always kept as a Fish, Wine, and Oil day, no matter what day of the week it falls on. December 6 is a wine and oil day because it is the feast of St Nicholas. Of course, in the US, there is a special dispensation for Thanksgiving.

Different jurisdictions may have different rules but this is the traditional rules for the Nativity Fast.

ZP
 
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Wow. Do you find it difficult to stick to? I guess that being within a community of people who are also taking part in this fast may help?

It must take a lot of self awareness to be alert to cutting out all those food groups on your days of fasting.
 
Eastern parishes, both Catholic and Orthodox, tend to be smaller and can make things easier when you know you are going through the fast as a community.
Nik said:
It must take a lot of self awareness to be alert to cutting out all those food groups on your days of fasting.
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Of course, you speak with your spiritual father and they should give you personal guidelines. Maybe, depending where you are physically, spiritually or your age, you follow the strict fast on Wednesday’s and Friday’s and eat what you want on the other days, for example. The goal of any fast is to do your best. Because of circumstances one may have no choice but to eat chicken, let’s say, because of a work holiday party. You do not want to bring attention to yourself like the Pharisee and you eat a small piece of chicken. No big deal, you do what you can. Again, the rules differ depending on the jurisdiction. The Ruthenian Greek Catholic Church tends to be the more lenient of the Byzantine Catholic Churches.

ZP
 
Nik said:
Hi everyone

So I’ve just been reading on another site that Catholics give up things for Advent in the same way that you do for Lent. Is that right, as I thought Advent was not a penitential season?

Sorry if this is a stupid question - I’m currently in RCIA and am trying to live as a Catholic as best I can while I discern if I am being called to enter into full communion with the Church.

Thanks :)🙂
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I do what I do in Lent, for Advent.

There are several Ember days in Lent that many religious communities observe


Yes it is the farmers almanac,😎

What is an ember day
https://www.liturgy.sydneycatholic.org/index.php/documents-a-resources/catholicism-101/ember-days
 
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