We love chocolate Advent calendars!
Everyone knows that Christmas is the time for curling up around the fire with a cup of something hot, reading a book, eating a candy cane and of course, excitedly opening your Advent calendar each day! Here at Richart, we adore this classic, delicious tradition, a festive countdown of the days until the long-awaited Christmas holiday - one of the highlights of the Nativity season. But do you know where it comes from?
At Maison RICHART, we like to shake things up, and our chocolate Advent calendars are no exception! That’s why our Advent box of chocolates is far more than a regular calendar...
The origins of the Advent calendar
Advent - what does that mean?
The word Advent comes from the Latin, adventus, which means “coming”. Advent starts four weeks before Christmas Day, signaling the beginning of the holiday season. Initially, it was a religious period of fasting, but nowadays, Advent is first and foremost a taste of the celebration to come, and the calendar is a fun countdown of the days until Santa arrives.
The Advent calendar tradition
Let’s get into reading some history - this tradition comes from Germany, in the early 19th century. Each morning of Advent, children were given images of saints as mini gifts, for their religious education and to help them continue to wait patiently for the Nativity scene to be complete, on Christmas Day. But the tradition as we know it now only emerged at the end of that century, when a pastor’s wife in a small village drew 24 boxes on a piece of cardboard and attached 24 mini biscuits, like a calendar for her children to enjoy on the morning of each day in December leading up to Christmas. Thus, the first Advent calendar was born. One of her sons, who grew up to become a publisher, had the idea of selling Advent calendars, so that all children could enjoy a sugar-filled countdown to Santa’s arrival! They were an immediate success, and the Advent calendar has continued to evolve since then, with candy, pictures, best wishes for the season... making the wait until Christmas go a little faster and highlighting the magic of the Nativity.
Only in the second half of the 20th century did we start to see Advent calendars all over the world, along with Christmas markets, which are now some of the most well-known highlights of the festive season.
The Advent calendar today
In every shape, color and theme... Nowadays, there are no regular rules when it comes to Advent calendars, and the religious aspect has practically disappeared. People are free to choose from a huge variety of Advent products!
But chocolate Advent calendars are still very popular, especially as gifts, and there are many different options to please all tastes. Assortments of chocolate with caramel, mini-bars, truffles dusted with cocoa powder, filled or plain chocolates, or combinations of dark, white and milk chocolate... There are so many different flavors, you’re spoiled for choice! Even if children are the main recipients of these delicious treats, we also see that adults can’t resist an Advent gift box, to bring back their fondest childhood memories.
That said, it’s important to distinguish between calendars featuring low-quality, industrial chocolate, with high butter and sugar content, and calendars containing luxury products, such as artisanal chocolates made from single origin cacao powder, for a little gift every day made from the best dark or milk chocolate.
The RICHART Advent calendar
You’ll find the Advent calendar from Maison RICHART in an elegant gift box, enhanced with a lovely card with Christmas colors. Inside is an assortment of our delicious chocolates crafted using the best French artisanal know-how, filled with salted-butter caramel, plain ganache or hazelnut, almond or pistachio praline, covered in dark chocolate. This is no regular Advent calendar!
Each dark chocolate in the calendar proudly bears a number and a fabulous Christmas design. And for even more fun, there’s a mystery phrase, to continue to piece together day after day.
Christmas is coming…
...why not treat yourself to the gift of an Advent box of chocolates from RICHART, to discover the intensely subtle flavors and feel as excited as a child waiting for Santa? You can't put a price on that!
No matter where you live, one of our chocolate Advent calendars is a gift that’s sure to please. You can collect one from our shops in Paris, Lyon, or Saint-André de Corcy, if you’re located in France, or enjoy home shipping (free under certain conditions) for products ordered on our online shop. Choose a luxury chocolate Advent calendar, sure to arrive on time - even Amazon can't beat that!
From the entire team at Maison RICHART, best wishes for a Happy Holiday season!
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