Advent guides

When Does Advent Start in 2026?

If you are looking for a clear date: Western Advent begins on Sunday, November 29, 2026, and continues through December 24. That is 26 daily steps from the first Sunday to Christmas Eve.

November 12, 2026 · A guide from Advent Journey

Advent 2026 starts on Sunday, November 29, and ends on December 24. Christmas Day follows on Friday, December 25.

In the Western church—Catholic, Anglican, Lutheran, Methodist, Reformed, and many other Protestant communities—Advent begins on the fourth Sunday before Christmas, also described as the Sunday nearest November 30. In 2026, both descriptions point to the same morning: November 29. From that Sunday through Christmas Eve there are 26 days, and 26 doors on a daily calendar.

The four Sundays of Advent 2026

Each Sunday of Advent has a candle on the wreath. A common modern pattern names the weeks Hope, Peace, Joy, and Love. Those names became popular in the twentieth century; some churches use another order or simply follow that Sunday’s Scripture. They remain a gentle way to mark the weeks, and they are the path Advent Journey follows.

Here are the Sundays in 2026:

• November 29 — First Sunday of Advent, often the candle of hope
• December 6 — Second Sunday of Advent, often the candle of peace
• December 13 — Third Sunday of Advent, often the candle of joy (Gaudete Sunday)
• December 20 — Fourth Sunday of Advent, often the candle of love

The third Sunday, December 13, is Gaudete Sunday in many traditions—gaudete is Latin for “rejoice.” It marks the midpoint of the season, when Christmas is near. Churches that use three purple or violet candles and one rose candle light the rose (sometimes called pink) candle on this day. Others use blue, four purple, or white. The colors can differ; the invitation is the same: make room, and wait with hope. If your wreath has a fifth candle in the center, the white Christ candle, it is usually lit on Christmas Day.

Why Advent is longer in some years

Christmas is always December 25; the first Sunday of Advent moves. When Christmas falls midweek, as it does in 2026 (a Friday), there are more weekdays after the fourth Sunday, so the season is a little longer. When Christmas falls on a Sunday, Advent is shorter. Over the years the season ranges from 22 to 28 days. Advent itself ends on December 24. The days before Christmas are for preparing a place in the heart.

A word about other calendars

If you have Orthodox friends or a parish that keeps the Eastern calendar, you may hear a different date. For many Orthodox Christians on the Gregorian calendar, the Nativity Fast—sometimes also called Advent—begins on November 15 and lasts forty days, through December 24. That is a beautiful pattern of preparation. Advent Journey follows Western Advent: November 29 through December 24, 2026, with a separate Christmas Day celebration on December 25.

What to do between now and November 29

Today is November 12, so the first Sunday is a little more than two weeks away. That is enough time to prepare without hurry. You might find a wreath, or four candles and a simple circle of greenery. You might choose a short Advent reading for Day 1, or decide how you want to keep the season—more prayer, a little stillness, time with Scripture, or a Christmas more clearly centered on Jesus.

If a daily companion would help, you can download Advent Journey and preview the first reading before the season begins. Days 1 through 3 are free when their dates arrive. You do not need a perfect plan by November 29. You only need a willing day, and then another.