When does Advent start in 2026?

On Sunday, November 29, 2026, the fourth Sunday before Christmas. Advent runs through December 24, which makes it 26 days long this year.

What do the Advent candles mean?

The most common wreath has three purple candles for hope, peace and love, a pink candle for joy on the third Sunday, and a white Christ candle in the center for Christmas Eve or Christmas Day. Some churches call the four candles the Prophet, Bethlehem, Shepherd and Angel candles, and the order of themes varies.

What is read when lighting the Advent candles?

There is no single rule. Many families read one or two verses on the week’s theme, such as Isaiah 9:2 for hope or Philippians 4:4–5 for joy. Some churches read from that Sunday’s lectionary passages instead.

Which lectionary year is Advent 2026?

Year B. The Revised Common Lectionary starts each year on the first Sunday of Advent, so Year B runs from November 29, 2026 and focuses on the Gospel of Mark. The Catholic Sunday lectionary is also in Year B, though some passages have different verse ranges.

Advent Candle Readings 2026: Scriptures for Each Week

An Advent wreath adds one lit candle each Sunday until all five are burning at Christmas. This page gives the 2026 dates, what each candle stands for, two scripture readings for each candle, a short prayer for each week, and the Revised Common Lectionary readings for the four Sundays.

Advent 2026 dates

Sunday	Date	Candle lit	Common theme
First Sunday of Advent	November 29	1st purple	Hope
Second Sunday of Advent	December 6	2nd purple	Peace
Third Sunday of Advent	December 13	Pink	Joy
Fourth Sunday of Advent	December 20	3rd purple	Love
Christmas Eve	Thursday, December 24	White, center	Christ

Christmas falls on a Friday in 2026, so the fourth week of Advent is only five days long, December 20 to 24.

What the five candles mean

Candle	Color	Theme	Also called
Week 1	Purple	Hope	Prophet’s Candle, for the prophets who foretold the Messiah
Week 2	Purple	Peace	Bethlehem Candle, for Mary and Joseph’s journey
Week 3	Pink	Joy	Shepherd’s Candle, for the shepherds who heard the good news
Week 4	Purple	Love	Angel’s Candle, for the angels’ announcement
Center	White	Christ	Christ Candle, lit on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day

The third candle is pink because the third Sunday is traditionally called Gaudete Sunday. Gaudete is Latin for “rejoice,” the first word of the day’s entrance antiphon, taken from Philippians 4:4. Some churches swap the order of themes (love in week 2 and peace in week 4, for example), and some use four purple or blue candles. Follow whatever your church does.

Scripture readings for each candle

Two readings per week. One person can read the first, another the second, and then light the candle.

Week 1, November 29: Hope

The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death, a light has dawned. (Isaiah 9:2, BSB)

I wait for the LORD; my soul does wait, and in His word I put my hope. (Psalm 130:5, BSB)

Week 2, December 6: Peace

For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given, and the government will be upon His shoulders. And He will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. (Isaiah 9:6, BSB)

because of the tender mercy of our God, by which the Dawn will visit us from on high, to shine on those who live in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the path of peace. (Luke 1:78–79, BSB)

Week 3, December 13: Joy

But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid! For behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people: Today in the city of David a Savior has been born to you. He is Christ the Lord!” (Luke 2:10–11, BSB)

Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be apparent to all. The Lord is near. (Philippians 4:4–5, BSB)

Week 4, December 20: Love

For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that everyone who believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:16, BSB)

This is how God’s love was revealed among us: God sent His one and only Son into the world, so that we might live through Him. (1 John 4:9, BSB)

Christmas Eve, December 24: The Christ candle

The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us. We have seen His glory, the glory of the one and only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. (John 1:14, BSB)

Once again, Jesus spoke to the people and said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows Me will never walk in the darkness, but will have the light of life.” (John 8:12, BSB)

Advent 2026 lectionary readings (Year B)

The Revised Common Lectionary (RCL) runs on a three-year cycle that starts on the first Sunday of Advent. Advent 2026 begins Year B, the year of Mark’s Gospel. If you want your candle reading to match the Sunday sermon, use these passages.

Sunday	Old Testament	Psalm	Epistle	Gospel
Advent 1, Nov 29	Isaiah 64:1–9	Psalm 80:1–7, 17–19	1 Corinthians 1:3–9	Mark 13:24–37
Advent 2, Dec 6	Isaiah 40:1–11	Psalm 85:1–2, 8–13	2 Peter 3:8–15a	Mark 1:1–8
Advent 3, Dec 13	Isaiah 61:1–4, 8–11	Psalm 126 or Luke 1:46b–55	1 Thessalonians 5:16–24	John 1:6–8, 19–28
Advent 4, Dec 20	2 Samuel 7:1–11, 16	Luke 1:46b–55 or Psalm 89:1–4, 19–26	Romans 16:25–27	Luke 1:26–38

Sources: the Church of the Brethren RCL Year B table and Selah Publishing’s Year B lectionary listing, which agree on the 2026 dates and passages. Catholic parishes are also in Year B, but some readings use different verse ranges (the first Sunday’s Gospel is Mark 13:33–37), so check your parish missal.

Short prayers for lighting the candles

Hope: Lord, we light this first candle as we wait for You. When we cannot see the way ahead, help us keep hoping in Your word. Amen.
Peace: Prince of Peace, bring Your peace into our home. Help us speak gently to one another this week. Amen.
Joy: Thank You, Lord, for sending a Savior. Like the shepherds, may we hear the good news and go tell someone. Amen.
Love: Father, You loved the world enough to give Your Son. Teach us to love our family and neighbors in the same way. Amen.
Christ candle: Lord Jesus, You are the light of the world. Tonight we remember Your birth. Light our way in the days ahead. Amen.

Write the verses out

After lighting the candle, you can copy out the week’s verse by hand. The Advent scripture writing plan has one verse a day for each week’s theme, and the December 2026 scripture writing plan follows the calendar date by date. For a printed page, the free Verses for Advent copywork has Psalm 62:5, Psalm 29:11, Philippians 4:4, 1 John 4:19 and Luke 2:7 in the BSB, one for each theme plus Christmas Day, in Letter and A4.

Write them in the app

Penned Grace lets you write scripture by hand, letter by letter, on iPhone, iPad or Android, with your finger or Apple Pencil. It is free to download. It also has a free plan called Advent in 28 Days, which runs from Isaiah 9:2 to Luke 2:6–7 and John 1:14 and remembers which day you are on. Its verses are different from the candle readings on this page. Open the Plans tab to choose it.