Start of the Christmas Lent/First Sunday in Advent

In contrast to the Orthodox churches of the Byzantine tradition, the church year in the Roman rite begins on the first Sunday of Advent, i.e., on the fourth-last Sunday before Christmas Eve on 24 December. In addition to the 40 days before Easter, Advent is considered a major period of fasting in the Christian churches. On the one hand, fasting is intended to prepare believers for the Solemnity of the Nativity of the Lord on 25 December, when they are once again allowed to eat the foods forbidden during Lent. On the other hand, the conscious renunciation is intended to remind them that Jesus will come into the world again at the end of time and judge people according to their deeds. Usually deprived of its significance as a preparation for Christmas, the custom of drinking strong beer in various regions reminds us that the faithful were forbidden to eat meat during Advent, which is why Benedictine monks brewed a particularly calorific beer—bock beer.