Advent marks the period of waiting for Christmas; it’s also the beginning of the Christian liturgical year. The root of “advent” is the Latin adventus ‘a coming, arrival’. The custom of the Advent calendar originated in Germany, but the word “calendar” is based on the Latin calendarium, which is derived from calendae meaning the first day of the month. The Hosanna hymn Finns sing on the first Advent was composed by Georg Joseph Vogler in Germany in the late 1700s. The key word is derived from the Hebrew wordhoshana ’save’ which appears often in the Old Testament. The four weeks of Advent lead to joulun juhla, Finnish for ‘the celebration of Christmas.’ Both of our words come from the same Germanic root, which is also the source of the English word yule. Germany has also contributed to traditional Nordic Christmastime catering, with glogg, a hot spiced alcoholic punch, and “peppercakes”, English gingerbread cookies. I wish everyone an enjoyable Christmas!