4th Advent

On the Fourth Sunday of Advent, the fourth light in the Advent wreath, the candle of love, shines. The number goes back to Gregory the Great, who lived at the end of the 6th century and served as Pope. Before he established it, the length of the Advent season fluctuated constantly; even today, in some regions it runs from November 11, St. Martin's Day, to Epiphany on January 6. The term Advent can be traced back to the Greek term "apparition" and meant arrival and presence in the Roman Empire. It could express the arrival of kings or emperors, but also the arrival of the deity in the temple. Christians adopted this word for the Advent season to express their relationship with Jesus Christ.

In the Catholic liturgy, the Latin name for the third Sunday of Advent (Gaudete) has remained in common use; in the Protestant hymnal, no Latin names are given, while the Protestant liturgy celebrates the joyful character (Gaudete) on the fourth Sunday of Advent.