Having just received a Fourth Advent video via messenger, in which The Count of Sesame Street counted the four burning candles, I wondered how much this is common outside of Germany.
Wikipedia tells me that the tradition also is followed in other countries nowadays, but not how much.
So:
Do you know this in your country or maybe even light some candles to count the remaining time until Christmas yourself?
Or have you never heard of it before?
Do you perhaps have any other similar countdown traditions (we e.g. also have Christmas calendars giving you a little tread every day until Christmas)?
US here, I was raised Catholic in West Virginia. The church I went to growing up always had an advent wreath, and when I was younger, our family would light one at home. I believe the church still does it but my family hasn’t done it since I was younger.
Episcopalian in South Dakota. Also had Advent wreaths.
Did you also have some ritual around lighting the cancles?
Where I come from, the family typically gathers together in the evening, lights the candles in the dark and sings a few traditional Christmas songs.
No family rituals around the candles that I can remember. We lit them with the lights off but no singing or sayings or things along those lines once they were lit the lights would come back on. We did it once a week, I think on Sundays since that’s the start of the new week and then we would let them burn for a bit before putting them out until the next week.