What are Rorats - and why we should pay attention to them in the run-up to Christmas

Last year I had the opportunity to spend Advent and Christmas in Brazil with my family and escape the typical Czech pre-Christmas hustle and bustle: To clean the apartment in a hurry - so that visitors would not reproach us for our mess. Hurry to buy presents - many and expensive, so that relatives don't think we can't afford it. Hurry to bake candy, as many kinds as possible, so that there is something to lose weight in the New Year ☺

I'm joking about it now, of course, but the quieter and simpler Christmas preparations in Brazil last year led me to wonder if the true essence of Christmas is being lost amidst the hustle and bustle. So I would like to invite the reader to something that I myself was invited to do this year, and which can give one a moment of true Advent pause even in the midst of the carousel of obligations. It's rorts.

A word not very familiar to today's culture, it means Christian Advent singing. Nowadays, Christmas carols - mostly pop - have been blasting at us from shopping malls slowly since mid-November (which doesn't always make us happy), but our ancestors were strictly forbidden to sing Christmas carols in the weeks leading up to Christmas! Advent was a time of silence, peace, and contemplation (so different from today, isn't it?). And while carols celebrate the already-born Savior, the somewhat more modest and simple rorts sing of his eager anticipation in Advent.

The name comes from the Latin - "Rorate coeli" which means "Heaven give the rose". What makes these pieces special is that they are meant to be sung early in the morning, and this gives them their unique charm. In Advent, it used to be customary to deny oneself something - to fast, to refrain from parties and balls,... Why not try, as a modern person, to deny yourself a little sleep once or twice a week, to catch up on sleep, and to take a moment to enjoy the company of old, simple but incredibly deep songs before going to work, school, or Christmas shopping?

For me personally, meeting in the rectory in the morning with a few musician friends before the day begins is one of the most beautiful experiences of Advent. Yes, it requires sacrifice - and as an owl, I think of early rising as my own. However, Advent and Christmas are both once a year and sometimes it's worth stepping out of your comfort zone and experiencing something special before entering the mundane. I can say from experience that if we actually wait until Christmas time to listen to Christmas music, we enjoy the whole festive atmosphere much more.

Believe it or not, despite the sleep deprivation, the time invested in this way is well worth it. You'll be tuning in to the holidays - but on a completely different wavelength than that offered by consumer society. You'll expand your musical knowledge with interesting songs you might not have known existed. Whether you're religious or not, a moment of contemplation with candlelight and soothing music won't do your psyche any harm - quite the contrary. What's more, if you make it a rule for these short four weeks, your strength will surely reward you for such an exercise - at the latest by the time you make your New Year's resolutions!