Advent calendar facts for kids
An Advent calendar is a special calendar that helps you count down the days until Christmas. Most of them start on December 1st. Some might even include the last few days of November. This is because of the Christian season called Advent. Advent calendars were first used by German Lutherans in the 1800s. Today, many Christians around the world enjoy them.
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What Advent Calendars Look Like
Advent calendars often have pictures on them. These pictures might show a Christian nativity scene, Santa Claus, or a winter landscape. But there are also many other designs! You can find calendars with themes like sports or technology. They can be made from different materials, such as paper, wood, or even fabric.
Most Advent calendars are like large cards. They are usually shaped like a rectangle. These cards have small "windows" that you can open. There are typically 24 windows. Each window represents one day from December 1st until the day before Christmas.
How to Use an Advent Calendar
You open one window each day. For example, on December 16th, you would open the window with the number '16' on it. Behind each window, you might find different surprises. These can include pictures, short poems, or even a piece of chocolate!
Some calendars have Bible verses or a prayer behind the windows. Christians use these to celebrate Advent as part of their religion. Other Advent calendars might have puzzles or games hidden behind the windows.
Different Kinds of Calendars
There are many unique types of Advent calendars. Some are made online, like on social media. Some towns even create "living" Advent calendars. In these, different buildings or windows in a town light up each day.
Related pages
Images for kids
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Doors for 15 and 17 December of an Advent calendar at a building in Lucerne, Switzerland
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Advent calendar from Im Lande des Christkinds. The doors contain Christmas poems. Images, from a cut-out sheet, were pasted over them.
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A 1946 Advent calendar by Marianne Schneegans.
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The 24 windows of the front of Hellbrunn Palace in Salzburg, Austria, used as an Advent calendar during the town's Christmas market.
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A home-made Advent calendar featuring presents.
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An Advent calendar consisting of images that have dates on the inverse side.
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A Norwegian Advent calendar.
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A home-made Advent calendar made from wood in the shape of a Christmas tree.
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Advent Calendar at the City Hall in Stollberg, Saxony.
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Two girls try to open the first door of an Advent calendar at the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church in Berlin.
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"Living" Advent calendar.
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Advent calendar with presents as flaps, randomly arranged.
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Stand-up Advent calendar by Carlsen Verlag 1959.
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See also
In Spanish: Calendario de Adviento para niños
