Giant Advent calendar for city

The Advent calendar will light up Victoria Square

A huge Advent calendar - claimed to be the world's largest - is planned for the centre of Birmingham.

The giant calendar will be hung from scaffolding on the city's town hall and there will be daily openings of the "windows".

Sponsors, the drinks company Coca Cola, said the final details of the decoration were still being finalised but it would be of traditional style.

Planners at Birmingham City Council approved the giant decoration at a meeting on Thursday.

Eye-opening

Andrew Coker, of Coca-Cola said: "It's going to be very traditional, very seasonal and the biggest in the entire world."

Coca-Cola wants the calendar to break records

"We are still working out who will open each window and what the final design will be."

The calendar will be unveiled on 30 November and the first window will be opened on 1 December with special ceremonies daily as each door is opened.

A Birmingham City Council spokeswoman said the local authority hoped it would be another boost to Christmas shopping in the city.

"It is something to woo the shoppers back to the city centre and make it a good place to visit with more interest," she said.

The Advent calendar tradition has its origins in the 19th Century from the protestant area of Germany.

Christmas tradition

Protestant Christian families made a chalk line for every day in December until Christmas Eve.

In the early 20th Century the chalk lines were replaced with printed calendars.

The first printed specimen is credited to Gerhard Lang (1881-1974) from Maulbronn in Germany.

Advent marks the start of the Christmas season. It begins on the Sunday nearest 30 November, the feast day of St. Andrew the Apostle, and covers four Sundays.