Originally published at Churchpop
The songs and cultural celebrations of Advent and Christmas are full of terms we don’t use that often the rest of the year. Perhaps you’ve wondered what some of these terms meant but were afraid to ask.
Fear no longer!
Here are the meanings of 11 common Advent and Christmas terms that you might not already know:1) Yuletide“Yuletide carols being sung by a choir…”
Sometimes “yule,” is simply another name for “Christmas.” But it wasn’t always: originally, it referred to a pagan Germanic festival around the same time of year. After the people converted to Christianity, the festival became Christmas, but the name stuck.
2) Advent
“Advent” is the season of preparation before Christmas, lasting around 4 weeks. It comes from the Latin word adventus which means “arrival” or “coming.” The term can also refer to the Second Coming of Christ.
3) Noël“The first Noël, the angels did say…” (The First Noël)
Just another name for “Christmas.” It is a French variant of nael, which comes from the Latin word natalis which means “birth.” Christmas of course celebrates the birth of Jesus.
4) Crèche
A French word, this is just another word for “Nativity scene,” or a scene of the birth of Christ. Literally, it means “crib.”
5) Nativity
In a Christian context, the Nativity refers to the birth of Jesus and comes from the Latin word nativus,
