Advent

General Knowledge

By: iMinds

Narrated by: Jude Beaumont

Learn about the history of Advent with iMindsJNR audio learning series for younger minds. You probably would agree that the four weeks leading up to Christmas are a special time of year. For Christians this is a period of preparation. Many Christians call these four weeks ‘Advent’ and they prepare themselves for the celebration of Jesus’ birth. The word ‘Advent’ comes from the Latin ‘adveneo’, meaning ‘to come to’ and refers to Jesus’ coming into the world at Christmas.

The four-week Advent observed today was not always in place. In the fifth century, Advent began on 11 November and lasted the 44 days until Christmas.

Perfect to engage, entertain and broaden young thinkers.. iMindsJNR brings knowledge to your MP3 with 5 minute information segments for growing minds.

Make your MP3 smarter with iMindsJNR MindTracks, intersperse with music and enjoy learning a little about a lot.. knowledge to help shape young minds.

©2009 iMinds Pty Ltd (P)2009 iMinds Pty Ltd

Critic reviews

"I'm learning all sorts of stuff about stuff I didn't even know I didn't know. And it sticks. In a nutshell: wonderful." (Jonathon Margolis, Financial Times)

Mundane

Anything short from”iminds is worth giving a try. Overall though, If you r looking for the deeper of advent this is not for you. Performance wise however, the narrators voice was pleasant.
The story itself had no substance as it touched mostly on traditions and dates observed leading up to Xmas.. she did share some symbolism which is always nice..

Surprisingly informative!

Excellent explanation- brief but informative, listened with my 5 and 8 year old during our unit study of Christmas Around the World.

Culturally significance of Advent

Interesting to know about Advent that has cultural and historical significance. Advent seems to be followed for somewhere between four weeks to 44 days before Christmas depending on geographical location & customs followed and mostly commonly ends with the Christmas eve more specifically the midnight mass. Though it is meant to be more of a nativity fast in the eastern orthodox communities, it seems to be associated with celebration and festive preparations in the west including Christmas decorations, colorful!

Great Info about History and Customs of Advent

Love these iMinds shorts . . . although brief they pack in a lot of info, such as the fact that the celebration of advent (in Latin meaning the coming arrival) has been celebrated as least as far back as 480 AD. In the beginning, the period beginning around November 11 up until Christmas Day was a period of fasting, requiring fasting three times per week. Over time, however, these customs changed with fasting remaining a part of Lent (Easter season) and Advent being associated with the hope of the coming birth of Christ. The length of time of the Advent season has also varied, and still does with Eastern Orthodox Churches observing a 40-day Advent (Nativity Fast), while the western world observes 24 days, beginning on December 1. Even in Christian denominations different rituals are practiced, some lighting a candle each week up to December 24, with scripture readings, some families observing advent primarily at home, and a wide variance, even from church to church. The fifth candle, when there is one, is always in the center, lit on Christmas Eve and represents Christ.