Just a disclaimer before we start. I am not promoting Christianity, but I do take interest in the beliefs of others. I write this to educate, not to preach.

Surely the Advent for Christmas starts on 1 December and ends on 24 December (Christmas Eve)? Then we have the 12 days of Christmas from Christmas Day to Epiphany on 6 January.

The modern Advent calendar is commercially based, but for the ancient Celtic Church, there are actually 3 Advents observed throughout the year. Sixth-century Welsh historian monk, Gildas, a contemporary of Saint David, patron saint of Wales, wrote about the three periods of Lent held in the Celtic monastic centres. They are: –

• 40 days leading up to Easter, leading up to the crucifixion of Christ, still universally known as Lent.
• 40 days following Pentecost (when Christ is said to have presented himself before his father and Holy Spirit descended on 120 followers), and this period focuses on the inspiring lives of saints.
• Finally, 40 days leading up to Christmas – 40 days of Advent, starting on the evening of 15 November.

The 40 days of Advent leading up to Christmas were split into three sections: –

1) The incarnation; i.e. the birth of Christ in human form.

2) Christ coming into the lives of Christians.

3) Christ’s return as depicted in the book of Revelation.

Let’s look more at these in detail: –

The incarnation

Celtic traditional beliefs concur with the teaching of the Cosmic Christ. That is, Christ has always existed and has always been a part of the Trinity. He was there at creation, as mentioned in the first chapter of the Gospel of John. The incarnation was a moment when God restricted Himself into a human body, from the moment of conception, so He could experience what it was like to be human.

Away from the Bible, there is a Celtic legend/tradition that St. Brigid was transported by angels, at the command of God and taken back in time to the actual birth of Christ in Bethlehem. She was the midwife to Mary as she gave birth to Christ, and then was transported back to her normal time.

Christ coming into lives of Christians

The second coming of Christ coming into lives of Christians, was the coming of the transforming power of the Divine into the heart of our being. In Celtic theology, the heart of the human being is made in the Divine image, but tainted by sin. The coming of Christ into Christian lives in Celtic theology does not completely change who we are at the core; but restores Christians to who they truly are, without sin. This is different to the Augustine theology that states people are born into sin.

Third Coming

The third coming of Christ is believed to be at the end of all things. During this period of Advent, Celtic Christians are encouraged to examine their own lives, not in a self-judgmental way, but in a positive self-reflection to see whether they are ready and prepared, in the way they are living, for Christ to return at any moment.

If you are interested in learning more, David Cole has written a book with suggestions on how Christians can observe the 40-day Advent: – https://cornerstonebooks.org.uk/product/celtic-advent-40-days-of-devotions-to-christmas/