Advent Sunday 2026: First Sunday Is Nov. 29, Candle Colors

Advent 2026 starts on Sunday, Nov. 29, the First Sunday of Advent in the Liturgical Calendar 2026 of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB). The season ends on Thursday, Dec. 24, which makes Advent 26 days long in 2026 (our count, first Sunday through Dec. 24, both days included). Christmas follows on Friday, Dec. 25.

This story covers the church season. For the countdown-style calendars that begin on Dec. 1, see our story on Advent calendar 2026 dates.

What are the Advent 2026 dates and candle colors?

The USCCB describes Advent as the four Sundays, and the weekdays, leading up to Christmas. Its Advent page says the season begins with Evening Prayer I of the Sunday that falls on or closest to Nov. 30. The table gives each Sunday for 2026, with the color from the USCCB’s wreath description.

Sunday	Date	Candle color	Note
First Sunday of Advent	Sun., Nov. 29, 2026	Purple	Advent begins
Second Sunday of Advent	Sun., Dec. 6, 2026	Purple
Third Sunday of Advent	Sun., Dec. 13, 2026	Rose	Gaudete Sunday
Fourth Sunday of Advent	Sun., Dec. 20, 2026	Purple
Last day of Advent	Thu., Dec. 24, 2026	None	Christmas is Fri., Dec. 25

Weekdays are computed for 2026 and match the USCCB calendar for the first Sunday and the season’s end. The Sunday before, 22 November, is Stir-up Sunday in Britain; see Stir-up Sunday 2026 dates and the pudding tradition.

What order are the Advent wreath candles lit in?

The USCCB describes the wreath as “a circle of evergreen branches into which four candles are inserted, representing the four weeks of Advent.” Three of the candles are purple. According to the USCCB, the purple candles symbolize prayer, penance and preparation. The rose candle is lit on the third Sunday, which the USCCB calls “the Sunday of rejoicing.”

That puts purple on Nov. 29 and Dec. 6, rose on Dec. 13 and purple again on Dec. 20. The printable tracker lists the same order, so you can tick each Sunday as you go.

When is Gaudete Sunday 2026?

Gaudete Sunday is the third Sunday of Advent, which is Sunday, Dec. 13, 2026. The USCCB says the liturgical color for Advent is purple, “just like Lent,” and that on Gaudete Sunday the color may be rose instead of purple.

Why does Advent last 26 days in 2026?

Advent ends on Christmas Eve, but its first day moves with the calendar, so the season is not the same length each year. The count below runs from the first Sunday through Dec. 24, both days included.

Year	First Sunday of Advent	Days through Dec. 24	Source for start date
2026	Sun., Nov. 29	26	USCCB Liturgical Calendar 2026
2027	Sun., Nov. 28	27	USCCB Liturgical Calendar 2027

The day counts are our computation from those dates. The USCCB 2026 calendar also shows that the Sunday cycle of readings, Year B, runs from Nov. 29, 2026, to Nov. 21, 2027. Its December 2026 pages are headed “Year B, Weekdays I”, so the weekday readings follow cycle I.

Which feast days fall between Nov. 29 and Dec. 24, 2026?

The December 2026 pages of the USCCB “Liturgical Calendar for the Dioceses of the United States of America 2026” list these days between the first Sunday of Advent and Christmas.

Date	USCCB listing	Color listed
Sun., Dec. 6	Second Sunday of Advent	Violet
Tue., Dec. 8	The Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Patronal Feastday of the United States of America), Solemnity, Holyday of Obligation	White
Sat., Dec. 12	Our Lady of Guadalupe, Feast (USA)	White
Sun., Dec. 13	Third Sunday of Advent	Violet or rose
Sun., Dec. 20	Fourth Sunday of Advent	Violet
Fri., Dec. 25	The Nativity of the Lord (Christmas), Solemnity, Holyday of Obligation	White

The optional memorial of Saint Nicholas is not listed for 2026 because Dec. 6 is a Sunday; in the USCCB’s December 2025 page it appeared as “[Saint Nicholas, Bishop]”. Our story on Our Lady of Guadalupe Day 2026 covers Dec. 12.

Do other churches start Advent on the same Sunday?

Several do, though the color and the calendar can differ. The table gives each church’s own published 2026 dates.

Church	2026 Advent dates	Color
Roman Catholic (USCCB)	Sun., Nov. 29 to Thu., Dec. 24	Violet; rose on Dec. 13
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA)	Nov. 29 through Dec. 24	Blue
Revised Common Lectionary (RCL)	Sundays Nov. 29 to Dec. 20 (Year B, 2026-27)	Not stated on the page
Orthodox Church in America (OCA)	Nativity (St. Philip’s) Fast, Nov. 15 through Dec. 24	Not stated on the page

The ELCA “Year B 2026/2027” Church Year Calendar lists “Advent Nov. 29, 2026 through Dec. 24, 2026” and gives the color for Sunday, Nov. 29, the First Sunday of Advent, as blue. United Methodist Communications says “the color for Advent has traditionally been purple, although some churches have adopted blue.” The Revised Common Lectionary at the Vanderbilt Divinity Library lists Year B (2026-27) with Advent Sundays from Nov. 29 to Dec. 20.

The Orthodox Church in America lists the Nativity Fast, also called St. Philip’s Fast, as Nov. 15 through Dec. 24. Nov. 15, 2026 is a Sunday. That is a fast, not the Western Advent season, so it starts two weeks earlier. Check your own church for its calendar and customs.

How to plan around Advent 2026

• Mark Nov. 29 on the November 2026 printable calendar, then Dec. 6, 13, 20 and 24 on the December 2026 printable calendar.
• For the days left to Dec. 25, see our Christmas 2026 calendar and countdown.
• Earlier in the fall, our story on All Saints Day 2026 covers the Nov. 1 holy day.

Not covered in this story: Mass times, parish customs and the Advent calendars of other churches.