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Today, extremely varied Advent wreaths are made, and each family configures this symbol of anticipation to their own tastes. In a traditional wreath, the color of the candles has different meanings consistent with the kind of heartfelt message it conveys to people on that particular Sunday.
As the light grows with the lighting of candles before Christmas, the glow also moves towards the hearts, the day of the birth of little Jesus approaches. The symbolism of the four candles, as well as the teachings of Sundays, help to prepare the celebration, to deepen spiritually.
The first crown
Although evergreen wreaths were already expressions of the desire for light and spring in pagan cultures, the first copy of today’s candle-adorned Advent symbol was made by a Lutheran pastor Johann Hinrich Wichern in 1839 in Hamburg, the boy who founded. He placed 24 candles, twenty red and four white on a two meter diameter wooden wheel. During Advent, he lit one of them every day, the whites on Sundays.
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Over the years, the wheel became a crown decorated with pine branches, which also appeared in Catholic circles in the first half of the 20th century. As the number of candles decreased, they also appeared more and more frequently in homes.
The candles send a message
For Christians, the circle shape of the crown symbolizes the endless love of God, and the evergreen branches symbolize hope and life. The candles show the growth of light, the coming of Jesus. Today, between the branches are hidden candles of various colors and arrangements, but the use of red candles is typical for Protestants, three purple and one rose for Catholics, but it is also accepted that all four are purple.
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The liturgical colors violet and pink that appear in the textiles used in the ceremonies of the Catholic Church, such as Masses. Colors have their own meaning, they are also associated with certain liturgies and certain periods of the ecclesiastical year. In a traditional Advent wreath, purple candles are lit on the first, second, and fourth Sunday. Purple (viola) is an Advent and Lenten hue that suggests repentance, sacred discipline, and forgiveness. Encourage people to be restricted, to look inward.
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Pink is the color of joy, hence the third, that is, the candle of joy Sunday (gaudete Sunday). It proclaims the joy of meeting the Lord to believers. In addition to the candles, concepts have also been assigned, so the three purples also carry different messages. Faith can be united to the first, hope to the second, and love to the fourth. The third candle, according to its color, is a symbol of joy. Furthermore, the Roman Catholic tradition also assigns people to the candles. To the first Adam and Eve, to whom God first promised salvation, to the second the Jewish people, in whom he awakened the hope that the Messiah would come from them. On the third, the Virgin Mary, who gave birth to Jesus, on the fourth, Saint John the Baptist, who proclaimed the coming of Jesus.
On the first Sunday, November 29 of this year, the preparation period begins, with the lighting of candles, people also walk on a spiritual path, the light enters their hearts. By the fourth Sunday, which falls on December 20 of this year, all the candles are already lit, the brightness is greater than at the beginning of Advent. In several places, a fifth white candle also adorns the crown, this Christ candle, which is lit on Christmas Eve. Apples and red ribbons may also appear, the fruit that warns of the Fall and redemption.
In the moment of waiting, it is important that many look at themselves, keep silence, but also open their hearts to those around them; This will make the celebration of love truly intimate.
The Advent wreath is very, very simple: elegant and beautiful
An Advent wreath is not worth buying because it is so much more meaningful, joyous, and creative to make yourself. In this way, you can harmonize with the decoration of your home and the style with which you dreamed of your Christmas this year.
(Image Source: Getty Images Hungary)
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