A friend sent me a card, saying he hoped O Come, O Come Emmanuel would be a topic for one of the remaining days of the Advent Calendar. This song, for him, evoked special memories of childhood. That set me to thinking. It’s certainly not the … Read more
The celebration of Russian Christmas has been shaped by forces both astronomical and historical. Let’s look first at the calendar. Most of Europe shifted to the Gregorian Calendar starting in 1582, but Russia retained the Julian Calendar. Peter the Great modernized the Julian calendar in … Read more
The Christian season of Advent always begins four Sundays before Christmas Day. So the number of days in Advent varies. For 2014, count back four Sundays before Christmas and you arrive at November 30 as the start date. Advent ends on Christmas Eve 25 days … Read more
