Advent 2026 · November 29 – December 24
Advent 2026: a day-by-day calendar
Advent 2026 begins on Sunday, November 29, and ends on Christmas Eve, Thursday, December 24 — 26 days and four Sundays. Here is every day of it: the liturgical day, the saint, a short prompt to pray with, and the customs that go with the season.
The calendar The wreath The O Antiphons Christmas novenas Questions
Key dates
| Sun Nov 29 | First Sunday of Advent The new liturgical year begins (Sunday readings: Year B). The Immaculate Conception novena begins. |
| Mon Nov 30 | St Andrew Christmas Novena begins Fifteen times a day until Christmas Eve. |
| Thu Dec 3 | Our Lady of Guadalupe novena begins Dec 3–11. |
| Sun Dec 6 | Second Sunday of Advent St Nicholas's day falls on the Sunday this year, so it is not kept at Mass — the shoes by the door can still be. |
| Tue Dec 8 | The Immaculate Conception A holy day of obligation in the United States (Tuesday). |
| Sat Dec 12 | Our Lady of Guadalupe Feast in the United States (Saturday). |
| Sun Dec 13 | Third Sunday of Advent — Gaudete Sunday Rose vestments; the third candle. |
| Wed Dec 16 | Christmas novena, Simbang Gabi and Las Posadas begin The last nine days before Christmas. |
| Wed Dec 16 | Advent Ember Days Wed Dec 16, Fri Dec 18, Sat Dec 19 — fasting days in the traditional (1962) calendar. |
| Thu Dec 17 | The O Antiphons begin One each evening, Dec 17–23. |
| Sun Dec 20 | Fourth Sunday of Advent The last candle. |
| Thu Dec 24 | Christmas Eve Advent ends with Evening Prayer; the Vigil Mass of Christmas is celebrated in the evening. |
| Fri Dec 25 | Christmas — the Nativity of the Lord A holy day of obligation (Friday). |
The Advent calendar, 2026
Each day has a prompt for a few minutes of prayer, drawn from that day's Gospel or feast. The Sunday Gospels are from Year B, which begins this Advent.
Sun Nov 29 · Day 1 of 26
First Sunday of Advent
Purple
St Saturninus of Toulouse is not celebrated this year: the Sunday of Advent takes precedence.
Christ's first word to the Church this year is “Watch.” Pick one moment in each day this week when you will stop, put the phone down, and notice that God is there.
Gospel: Mark 13:33–37Mon Nov 30 · Day 2 of 26 · St Andrew novena day 1/25
Monday of the First Week of Advent
Red · Feast of St Andrew, Apostle
Andrew's first act after meeting Jesus was to bring his brother. Today the St Andrew Christmas Novena begins: name the person you would most like to bring to Christ, and pray for them in each of today's fifteen prayers.
Gospel: Matthew 4:18–22Tue Dec 1 · Day 3 of 26 · St Andrew novena day 2/25
Tuesday of the First Week of Advent
Purple · Optional memorial of St Edmund Campion
Jesus thanks the Father for showing these things to the childlike. Pray today the way a child asks: plainly, without managing how it sounds.
Gospel: Luke 10:21–24Wed Dec 2 · Day 4 of 26 · St Andrew novena day 3/25
Wednesday of the First Week of Advent
Purple · Optional memorial of St Bibiana
The crowd had stayed with Jesus three days with nothing to eat, and He fed them. What are you hungry for that only He can give? Tell Him plainly.
Gospel: Matthew 15:29–37Thu Dec 3 · Day 5 of 26 · St Andrew novena day 4/25
Thursday of the First Week of Advent
Purple · Memorial of St Francis Xavier
Francis Xavier crossed oceans to preach; most of us cross a hallway. Who is the far country in your own house or office? The Guadalupe novena begins today.
Gospel: Matthew 7:21, 24–27Fri Dec 4 · Day 6 of 26 · St Andrew novena day 5/25
Friday of the First Week of Advent
Purple · Optional memorial of St John Damascene
Two blind men followed Jesus shouting for mercy. Make today's prayer one line, as often as you remember it: “Son of David, have mercy on me.”
Gospel: Matthew 9:27–31Sat Dec 5 · Day 7 of 26 · St Andrew novena day 6/25
Saturday of the First Week of Advent
Purple · Optional memorial of St Sabbas
“The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few.” Pray by name for one priest or religious this Advent, and tell them you are doing it.
Gospel: Matthew 9:35–10:1, 5a, 6–8Sun Dec 6 · Day 8 of 26 · St Andrew novena day 7/25
Second Sunday of Advent
Purple
St Nicholas is not celebrated this year: the Sunday of Advent takes precedence.
John calls people into the wilderness to make the Lord's paths straight. Name one crooked path in your life — a habit, a grudge, a delay — and straighten one stretch of it before Christmas.
Gospel: Mark 1:1–8Mon Dec 7 · Day 9 of 26 · St Andrew novena day 8/25
Monday of the Second Week of Advent
Purple · Memorial of St Ambrose
Ambrose was made bishop before he was even baptized, and grew into it. What has God handed you that you are still growing into? Tomorrow is a holy day of obligation — plan your Mass now.
Gospel: Luke 5:17–26Tue Dec 8 · Day 10 of 26 · St Andrew novena day 9/25
Tuesday of the Second Week of Advent
White · Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception
Mary was kept from sin so that her yes could be whole. Where is your yes to God still half-hearted? Today is a holy day of obligation: go to Mass.
Gospel: Luke 1:26–38Wed Dec 9 · Day 11 of 26 · St Andrew novena day 10/25
Wednesday of the Second Week of Advent
Purple · Optional memorial of St Juan Diego
Juan Diego took a different road to avoid the Lady because his uncle was dying. She met him on it anyway. What road are you taking to avoid God, and is He waiting there too?
Gospel: Matthew 11:28–30Thu Dec 10 · Day 12 of 26 · St Andrew novena day 11/25
Thursday of the Second Week of Advent
Purple · Optional memorial of St Eulalia of Mérida
No one born of women is greater than John, yet the least in the kingdom is greater still. That is grace, not achievement. Where are you still trying to earn what God is giving?
Gospel: Matthew 11:11–15Fri Dec 11 · Day 13 of 26 · St Andrew novena day 12/25
Friday of the Second Week of Advent
Purple · Optional memorial of St Damasus I
“We played the flute for you, and you did not dance.” Is God inviting you to something you keep critiquing instead of answering?
Gospel: Matthew 11:16–19Sat Dec 12 · Day 14 of 26 · St Andrew novena day 13/25
Saturday of the Second Week of Advent
White · Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe
“Am I not here, I who am your mother?” Bring Mary one worry you have been carrying alone, and leave it with her.
Gospel: Luke 1:26–38 or 1:39–47Sun Dec 13 · Day 15 of 26 · St Andrew novena day 14/25
Third Sunday of Advent — Gaudete Sunday
Rose
St Lucy is not celebrated this year: the Sunday of Advent takes precedence.
John knew exactly who he was not: “I am not the Christ.” Where are you trying to be the light instead of pointing to it? Name one joy from this week and thank God for it by name.
Gospel: John 1:6–8, 19–28Mon Dec 14 · Day 16 of 26 · St Andrew novena day 15/25
Monday of the Third Week of Advent
Purple · Memorial of St John of the Cross
John of the Cross wrote of the dark night: God at work where we feel nothing. Is there a dryness in your prayer you could offer to Him instead of fighting it?
Gospel: Matthew 21:23–27Tue Dec 15 · Day 17 of 26 · St Andrew novena day 16/25
Tuesday of the Third Week of Advent
Purple · Optional memorial of St Maria Crocifissa di Rosa
One son said no and went; the other said yes and did not. Is there a yes you gave God that you have not followed through on?
Gospel: Matthew 21:28–32Wed Dec 16 · Day 18 of 26 · St Andrew novena day 17/25
Wednesday of the Third Week of Advent
Purple · Optional memorial of St Adelaide of Burgundy
Tonight Las Posadas begins — Mary and Joseph knocking and being turned away. Where is there no room in your life? Make one room this week. The Christmas novena begins today.
Gospel: Luke 7:18b–23Thu Dec 17 · Day 19 of 26 · St Andrew novena day 18/25
December 17 — the late-Advent weekdays
Purple · Commemoration of St Lazarus of Bethany permitted
O Wisdom, ordering all things. What decision are you facing that needs wisdom more than cleverness? Pray tonight's O Antiphon over it.
Gospel: Matthew 1:1–17Fri Dec 18 · Day 20 of 26 · St Andrew novena day 19/25
December 18 — the late-Advent weekdays
Purple · Commemoration of St Winebald permitted
God gave the Law from a bush that burned and was not consumed. Which commandment do you find hardest? Ask for help keeping it rather than resenting it.
Gospel: Matthew 1:18–25Sat Dec 19 · Day 21 of 26 · St Andrew novena day 20/25
December 19 — the late-Advent weekdays
Purple · Commemoration of St Anastasius I permitted
From a stump everyone had given up on came a shoot. What in your life, or in someone else's, have you written off that God has not?
Gospel: Luke 1:5–25Sun Dec 20 · Day 22 of 26 · St Andrew novena day 21/25
Fourth Sunday of Advent
Purple
St Dominic of Silos is not celebrated this year: the Sunday of Advent takes precedence.
Mary said yes before she understood how. What is God asking of you that you would rather understand first? Say her words to Him today: “let it be done to me.”
Gospel: Luke 1:26–38Mon Dec 21 · Day 23 of 26 · St Andrew novena day 22/25
December 21 — the late-Advent weekdays
Purple · Commemoration of St Peter Canisius permitted
On the year's longest night the Church sings to the Dawn. Sit for five minutes in the dark this evening, light one candle, and pray O Oriens.
Gospel: Luke 1:39–45Tue Dec 22 · Day 24 of 26 · St Andrew novena day 23/25
December 22 — the late-Advent weekdays
Purple · Commemoration of Sts Chaeremon and Ischyrion permitted
The King of the nations is the cornerstone who makes both one. Is there a division — in your family, your parish — you could help heal before Christmas?
Gospel: Luke 1:46–56Wed Dec 23 · Day 25 of 26 · St Andrew novena day 24/25
December 23 — the late-Advent weekdays
Purple · Commemoration of St John of Kanty permitted
God with us. Tomorrow the waiting ends. Where, specifically, do you want Him to be with you this Christmas? Tell Him.
Gospel: Luke 1:57–66Thu Dec 24 · Day 26 of 26 · St Andrew novena day 25/25
December 24 — the late-Advent weekdays
Purple · Commemoration of St Tharsilla permitted
The last morning of Advent. Finish the St Andrew novena today. Choose one thing to leave undone so you can be present tonight.
Gospel: Luke 1:67–79 (morning)
The Advent wreath
Four candles, one more lit each Sunday — three purple and one rose for Gaudete. Relight them at the evening meal through the week, with that Sunday's prayer.
| 2026 | Sunday | Candles lit |
|---|---|---|
| Nov 29 | First Sunday | One purple |
| Dec 6 | Second Sunday | Two purple |
| Dec 13 | Third Sunday | Two purple and the rose |
| Dec 20 | Fourth Sunday | All four |
The wreath prayers for each week, in Latin and English, with a simple household blessing →
The O Antiphons, December 17–23
For the last seven evenings of Advent the Church sings one ancient antiphon before the Magnificat, each calling on Christ by a title from the Old Testament. They are the verses behind “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel.”
| Thu Dec 17 | O Sapientia | O Wisdom |
| Fri Dec 18 | O Adonai | O Lord |
| Sat Dec 19 | O Radix Jesse | O Root of Jesse |
| Sun Dec 20 | O Clavis David | O Key of David |
| Mon Dec 21 | O Oriens | O Dayspring |
| Tue Dec 22 | O Rex Gentium | O King of the Nations |
| Wed Dec 23 | O Emmanuel | God with Us |
All seven in Latin and English, with their Scripture →
The Christmas novenas
The St Andrew Christmas Novena — November 30 to December 24
One short prayer, said fifteen times a day from St Andrew's feast until Christmas Eve.
How to pray it, and how to keep count →
The Christmas Novena — December 16 to 24
The nine days before Christmas are kept around the world. In the Philippines the Simbang Gabi is a dawn Mass on each of the nine mornings, the last on Christmas Eve. In Mexico and across the Americas, Las Posadas re-enacts Mary and Joseph's search for a room on each of the nine evenings, ending with a celebration. At home, a family can pray the St Andrew prayer, or the evening's O Antiphon from the 17th, at the Advent wreath.
And the other novenas of the season
The Immaculate Conception (Nov 29–Dec 7) and Our Lady of Guadalupe (Dec 3–11). See every start date →
Advent 2026: questions
When does Advent 2026 start?
Advent 2026 begins on Sunday, November 29, 2026, the First Sunday of Advent, and ends on the evening of Thursday, December 24. It also begins the Church's new liturgical year; Sunday readings in 2027 follow Year B of the Lectionary.
How long is Advent 2026?
26 days, with four Sundays: November 29 and December 6, 13 and 20. Advent always has four Sundays but its length varies from 22 to 28 days, depending on which weekday Christmas falls on.
When is Gaudete Sunday 2026?
Sunday, December 13, 2026, the Third Sunday of Advent. The priest may wear rose vestments, and the rose candle on the Advent wreath is lit.
When are the O Antiphons in 2026?
December 17 to 23, one each evening as the antiphon to the Magnificat at Evening Prayer: O Sapientia (Thursday the 17th) through O Emmanuel (Wednesday the 23rd).
Is Advent a time of fasting?
Not by law today: the only days of fasting in the current discipline are Ash Wednesday and Good Friday. Advent is a season of joyful preparation. Many Catholics still choose a small fast or sacrifice, and the traditional calendar keeps the Advent Ember Days.
What color is Advent?
Purple (violet), with rose permitted on Gaudete Sunday. Feasts within Advent keep their own color — white for the Immaculate Conception and Our Lady of Guadalupe, red for St Andrew.
Is the Immaculate Conception a holy day of obligation in 2026?
Yes. December 8, 2026 falls on a Tuesday, and in the United States the Immaculate Conception keeps its obligation on any weekday — the Saturday-or-Monday exemption applies only to January 1, August 15 and November 1.
Advent Watch in the app is one small practice a day, from the First Sunday to Christmas morning — with the day's readings and the Rosary alongside.
