When Does Advent Start in 2026? Sunday, November 29 (2026 Guide)

Advent 2026 begins on Sunday, November 29, 2026, with the First Sunday of Advent. It ends on the evening of Thursday, December 24, when Christmas begins with the Vigil Mass. That makes Advent 26 days long this year, with four Sundays: November 29, December 6, December 13 and December 20.

If you are planning your wreath, your parish calendar or a quiet season of prayer, here is everything you need: the dates, how the Church sets them, what Advent means, and how to keep it well.

When Does Advent Start in 2026?

The First Sunday of Advent falls on November 29, 2026. It comes one week after the Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe (Sunday, November 22), the last Sunday of the Church’s year. If you have not prayed with that feast yet, our Christ the King prayers and Act of Consecration are a good way to close the old year.

Because Advent is the beginning of the liturgical year, November 29 is also the Church’s “New Year’s Day.” On that Sunday the readings move to Year B of the three-year Sunday cycle, in which most Sunday Gospels come from St. Mark.

Advent 2026 at a Glance

Day	Date	What happens
Christ the King	Sunday, Nov 22	Last Sunday of the liturgical year
First Sunday of Advent	Sunday, Nov 29	New liturgical year (Year B) begins
St. Andrew, Apostle	Monday, Nov 30	Feast; many families begin the St. Andrew Christmas Novena
Second Sunday of Advent	Sunday, Dec 6	John the Baptist prepares the way
Immaculate Conception	Tuesday, Dec 8	Solemnity; a holy day of obligation in the United States
Our Lady of Guadalupe	Saturday, Dec 12	Feast (in the United States)
Third Sunday of Advent (Gaudete)	Sunday, Dec 13	Rose vestments may be worn
Final days before Christmas	Dec 17–24	O Antiphons; readings turn toward the Nativity
Fourth Sunday of Advent	Sunday, Dec 20	The Annunciation to Mary
Christmas Eve	Thursday, Dec 24	Advent ends as the Christmas Vigil begins
Christmas	Friday, Dec 25	The Nativity of the Lord

One small note for 2026: St. Nicholas’s day, December 6, falls on the Second Sunday of Advent. The Sunday takes precedence in the liturgy, so his memorial is not celebrated at Mass that day. Families are still free to keep their St. Nicholas traditions at home.

How Is the Start of Advent Calculated?

Advent does not start on a fixed date. The Church’s General Norms for the Liturgical Year and the Calendar (no. 40) say that Advent begins with First Vespers (Evening Prayer) of the Sunday that falls on or closest to November 30.

In practice, that means:

1. The First Sunday of Advent is always between November 27 and December 3.
2. It is always the fourth Sunday before Christmas.
3. Advent therefore lasts from 22 to 28 days, depending on the day of the week Christmas falls on.

You can work it out yourself in two steps. First, find the Sunday just before December 25 (in 2026, that is December 20). Then count back three more Sundays: December 13, December 6 and November 29.

Because Christmas falls on a Friday in 2026, the fourth week of Advent is almost complete: it runs from Sunday, December 20, to the evening of Thursday, December 24.

First Sunday of Advent in the Coming Years

Year	First Sunday of Advent
2026	November 29
2027	November 28
2028	December 3
2029	December 2
2030	December 1

What Is Advent, and Why Does It Matter?

The word Advent comes from the Latin adventus, which means “coming” or “arrival.” The season looks in two directions at once.

First, it prepares us to celebrate Christ’s first coming at Bethlehem. Second, it turns our hearts toward his second coming at the end of time. The Church’s calendar norms (no. 39) describe Advent as a season of devout and joyful expectation.

The Catechism puts it this way: “When the Church celebrates the liturgy of Advent each year, she makes present this ancient expectation of the Messiah, for by sharing in the long preparation for the Savior’s first coming, the faithful renew their ardent desire for his second coming” (CCC 524).

There is also a third “coming” that spiritual writers have long spoken of: Christ’s coming to each of us now, in grace, in the Sacraments and in prayer. Advent asks us to make room for him today.

Is Advent a Penitential Season?

Advent uses violet, the same color as Lent, and the Gloria is not sung at Sunday Mass. But Advent is not a second Lent. Its tone is hopeful waiting rather than fasting. Many Catholics choose some simple sacrifices anyway, and Advent is an excellent time to go to Confession before Christmas. Many parishes hold Advent penance services for this reason.

The Four Sundays of Advent 2026

Each Sunday has its own theme, drawn from the Gospel of the day. In Year B, the readings move from watchfulness to John the Baptist to the Annunciation.

First Sunday of Advent (November 29): Stay Awake

The Gospel is Jesus’s call to watchfulness in Mark 13:33–37. We do not know the hour when the Lord will return, so we keep our lamps lit. It is a good Sunday to choose one concrete practice for the season.

Second Sunday of Advent (December 6): Prepare the Way

The Gospel (Mark 1:1–8) introduces John the Baptist, who calls the people to repentance and points to the One coming after him. This Sunday invites us to clear away whatever blocks the road between us and God.

Third Sunday of Advent (December 13): Gaudete Sunday

The Third Sunday is called Gaudete Sunday, from the first word of its Latin entrance antiphon: Gaudete, “Rejoice.” Based on St. Paul’s words in Philippians 4:4–5, it says: “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I say, rejoice. Indeed, the Lord is near.”

Halfway through the season, the Church lifts our spirits. The priest may wear rose vestments instead of violet, and families light the rose candle on the Advent wreath. In Year B the Gospel (John 1:6–8, 19–28) again shows John the Baptist as the witness to the light. In 2026 Gaudete Sunday falls on December 13, the day St. Lucy is usually remembered, so it carries a double reminder of the Light that is coming.

Fourth Sunday of Advent (December 20): Mary’s “Yes”

The Gospel (Luke 1:26–38) tells of the Annunciation. With Christmas only days away, we look to Mary, who welcomed God’s Word with faith. Her answer, “May it be done to me according to your word” (Luke 1:38), is the perfect Advent prayer.

How to Keep Advent Well at Home

You don’t need to do everything. Choose two or three practices you can keep faithfully.

1. Light an Advent wreath. Traditionally it has three violet candles and one rose candle, lit one more each week, often at dinner with a short prayer.
2. Read the Sunday Gospel ahead of time. Ten quiet minutes with the coming Sunday’s Gospel makes Mass more fruitful.
3. Go to Confession before Christmas.
4. Pray a novena. Many Catholics begin the St. Andrew Christmas Novena on November 30 and pray it each day until Christmas.
5. Keep the feasts. Attend Mass on December 8 for the Immaculate Conception, and honor Our Lady of Guadalupe on December 12. Our guide to what the Catholic Church believes about Mary explains both.
6. Set up a simple prayer corner with the wreath, an empty manger and a Bible. Our guide to making a Catholic home altar shows how.
7. Wait to celebrate. Try to save some Christmas music and parties for the Christmas season itself, which runs from December 25 until the Baptism of the Lord. For more ideas, see 10 simple ideas for a Catholic Christmas.

Prayers for the Beginning of Advent

Collect for the First Sunday of Advent

This is the opening prayer of Mass on the First Sunday of Advent, from the Roman Missal.

Grant your faithful, we pray, almighty God,
the resolve to run forth to meet your Christ
with righteous deeds at his coming,
so that, gathered at his right hand,
they may be worthy to possess the heavenly Kingdom.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.
Amen.

Prayer to Begin Advent (Original Prayer)

Lord Jesus, you came to us in Bethlehem,
and you will come again in glory.
As this new year of grace begins,
wake me from sleep and make my heart ready.
Clear away whatever keeps me from you.
Teach me to wait with patience, to pray with hope,
and to love those around me as you love them.
Mary, Mother of the Lord, walk with me this Advent.
Come, Lord Jesus.
Amen.

Short Advent Prayer: Come, Lord Jesus

The early Christians prayed an Aramaic phrase, Marana tha, meaning “Our Lord, come!” (1 Corinthians 16:22). The Bible ends with the same longing: “Come, Lord Jesus!” (Revelation 22:20). You can repeat it through the day, whenever you light a candle or pause in a busy hour.

Come, Lord Jesus.
Come into my heart, my home and my world.
Amen.

Advent passes quickly, especially in a busy December. Starting on November 29 with even one small practice, kept faithfully, can make this the most peaceful Christmas in years.