Advent Start Calculator
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Computus (calendar math) only. Local diocesan or parish adjustments are not applied — verify liturgical dates with your church if needed.
Gregorian year → date of the first Advent Sunday (fourth Sunday before Christmas).
Rates last reviewed: August 2026
Year
First Advent Sunday
2026-11-29
Fourth Sunday before Christmas 2026
- Advent begins
- 2026-11-29
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When does Advent start?
In Western Christianity, Advent begins on the fourth Sunday before Christmas Day. Because Christmas can fall on any day of the week, Advent starts between November 27 and December 3 inclusive.
This calculator finds the Sunday that is exactly four Sundays before December 25 in the given Gregorian year — the common Roman Catholic and Protestant rule used for planning wreaths, calendars, and lectionary cycles.
Example: Advent 2026 begins November 29, 2026 (four Sundays before Christmas on a Friday). Orthodox churches use a different Nativity fast schedule — this tool is Western Advent only.
Common questions
Is Advent always four weeks long?
Western Advent spans four Sundays. The number of days between the first Advent Sunday and Christmas varies slightly with the weekday of Christmas.
Does this include Orthodox Advent?
No. Eastern Orthodox churches observe a Nativity fast on a different schedule. This is the Western fourth-Sunday-before-Christmas rule.