1st of Advent today - 27 November

On the 1st of Advent, in Sweden people light the first candle in the Advent candlestick. This is always a special event, eagerly awaited. Each Sunday until Christmas, a new candle is lit (and blown out after a while), until all four candles are alight. The children’s expectations grow with every candle. On TV, there is a special Christmas calendar show for the young with 24 episodes. It, too, serves as a countdown to the big day.

Advent means arrival, or coming, and since the 5th century AD has heralded the Christmas season and the birth of Christ. Since the 1890s, the custom in Sweden has been to light a candle every Sunday during Advent. The Moravian custom of hanging a star made from paper, straw or chipwood in windows also found its way to Sweden in the 1930s, recalling the star that guided the Three Wise Men. The advent calendar dates from around this time as well. Children open a window in the calendar for each passing day until Christmas Eve.

(source: Sweden.se)