The following is a translation of an article written by Orsolya Ferenczi-Bónis, originally published in Magyar Krónika.

Why are witches frightened during the mass of the angels, why did our ancestors believe that the nights of the Advent season were the best time for magic, what does the Advent wreath represent, and what does dawn symbolize? Now that the Advent season has begun, read Magyar Krónika’s article on Hungarian Advent folk traditions!

Advent is a time of anticipation, watchful, hopeful waiting, and conscious spiritual preparation. The Latin word means coming, arrival, and comes from the phrase ‘adventus Domini’, meaning ‘the coming of the Lord’. In his Festive Calendar, famous ethnographer Sándor Bálint, following an explanation by Reformed minister and church historian Péter Bod, describes how, according to the symbolic view of the Middle Ages, the four weeks of Advent symbolizes the four comings of Christ: ‘In the words of Pope Innocent III, he appears in the cloud of the body, in the dew of grace, in the agony of death, and in the fire of judgment.’

Advent lasts four weeks, beginning on the fourth Sunday before 25 December. Originally it lasted forty days since Jesus fasted in the wilderness for forty days, too, but the Gregorian reform of the calendar shortened it to four weeks. In times past, this season was also known as the Nativity Fast (kisböjt, that is, ‘small lent’ in Hungarian), a period of no noisy festivities, strict fasting on Wednesdays and Fridays, and abstinence from meat on Saturdays.

Hungarian artist and author Marcell Jankovics, in his work Mély a múltnak kútja (Deep Is the Well of the Past), writes that although there is only one feast dedicated to the Virgin Mary—the feast of the Immaculate Conception on 8 December—, Advent itself is a time of Mary in a state of blessedness with Jesus Christ. He compares Advent to the dawn, ‘for just as the dawn foreshadows the rising of the sun, so Advent is a time of waiting and preparation for the birth of the Sun God, I mean, Jesus Christ’.

The night of the winter equinox has been a prominent celebration since ancient times as the winter solstice marked the longest night of the year, after which the days became longer and the nights shorter. As one of the oldest celebrations of mankind, it marked the rebirth of the sun and the awakening of the world, and thus the victory of light, warmth, and life over darkness, cold, and death.

Marcell Jankovics’ reference to the Sun God evokes this ancient belief. Jesus Christ brought to humanity the message of hope, God’s love above all else, and salvation, thus overcoming darkness as a divine source of light proclaiming salvation. This is why the dawn takes on a special significance in anticipation of his birth. The symbolism of the liturgy also likens Advent to the dawn, because both purple and pink evoke the colours of dawn.

‘It marked the rebirth of the sun and the awakening of the world, and thus the victory of light, warmth, and life over darkness, cold, and death’

The Advent early morning masses, the Rorate Masses, were in many places the masses of the angels. In the darkness of the winter dawn, believers experience the waiting for the coming of the light, the Saviour. There were many beliefs associated with the early morning masses. Our ancestors believed that all doors and windows, especially those of the barn, should be closed for the duration of the Rorate, otherwise witches, frightened by the sound of the bells, would seek shelter there in animal disguises and bring evil spells on the livestock.

When hearing the bells tolling for the Rorate, it was customary for young girls to eat a spoonful of sugar or honey to sweeten their tongues and lure as many suitors as possible. They even cut off a small piece of the bell rope to sew into their ribbons, believing that if they tied their hair with it, they would have lots of suitors by the time of the February Carnival.

The four-week period of preparation for Christmas includes significant days such as St Andrew’s, St Barbara’s, St Nicholas’, and St Lucia’s Day. Our ancestors used folk customs associated with these days to ensure the success of the coming year, but they also performed health and fertility charms, as well as crop, weather, husband, and even death predictions. Certain days were considered excellent for warding off evil spirits and witches. ‘The best time of love spells is the powerful days of St Andrew, St Barbara, St Lucia, St Thomas, and St Catherine, also in the Advent period, which is also the time of the winter solstice, the preparation for the rebirth of nature, the cosmic service of the continuity of human destiny’, writes Sándor Bálint.

The Latin word ‘legend’ means a ‘book to be read’. The purpose of legends, which depict the turns in the lives of the saints, their dedication, perseverance, and self-sacrifice, was also to show the way for people struggling in life on earth. Reading the legends, it is clear that the popular beliefs about magic are not explained by the lives of the saints.

The question arises, therefore, why did our ancestors still consider these nights suitable for performing magical rites?

As Sándor Bálint explains:

‘The nights are the longest in this period, so this is the best time for magic. Since the Church recommends the invocation of the saints, folklore relates its own magical expectations to the name and power of the saint of these days, but not only does it ask for their intercession according to the teaching and recommendation of religion, but it also attributes to them magical power.’

Making an Advent wreath is still a tradition of the Advent season. By lighting the four candles in succession, we experience that there is more and more light, and the power of festive anticipation is growing every week.

‘By lighting the four candles in succession, we experience that there is more and more light, and the power of festive anticipation is growing every week’

According to some sources, the first Advent wreath was made in an orphanage in Berlin in 1860, while other sources say that in 1840 Johann Wichern, a Lutheran pastor from Hamburg, hung it from the ceiling on a chariot wheel in the prayer room. Both versions agree, however, that there were twenty-four small white candles on the wreath: one for each day of Advent. The custom spread very quickly, with four large candles and twenty small ones being used later, and then, for the sake of simplicity, only the four large candles were placed on the wreath, one being lit each Sunday. Thus, the four-candle wreath became widespread, and after a while, they were not only hung from the ceiling but also on the front door or placed on the table.

Nevertheless, the tradition of the Advent wreath goes back much further than that and, like the origins of the Christmas celebration, is lost in the mists of humanity’s ancient past. Already centuries ago, people used to make wreaths from pine branches and evergreen twigs for their homes, not only for decorative purposes, of course, as the evergreen plants represented life-force, and with this force, they protected the house from all harm and damage. In pagan times, evergreens, mistletoe, and privets were used to celebrate the winter equinox. In addition, the Celtic festival of the rebirth of light was Yule, which means ‘wheel’. The word refers to the eternal circle of life, therefore, already the Celts made evergreen braids, or wreaths, to symbolize this.

‘The tradition of the Advent wreath goes back much further than that and, like the origins of the Christmas celebration, is lost in the mists of humanity’s ancient past’

Read more on the Advent period:

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