For many people Christmas is a time of gift giving and holiday cheer, but for Christians, this time before Christmas marks a very special time to get ourselves ready for the Birth of the Christ Child.
A great way for family's to do this preparation is with a Christmas Wreath.
What exactly is this Christmas Wreath?
It's not just a door decoration but rather a decoration that sits on the Family's Dining Room or Living Room table.
It is a wreath made usually from evergreens and possibly decorated with some poinsettias or berries in between. There is place on this wreath for 4 candles.
What is the meaning of all this? Well from a Christian perspective, there is lots of traditional symbolism involved with the Advent Wreath.
So let's break it down!
- A wreath is round, a circle symbolizing no beginning and no end.
- It is usually covered with evergreens, either cedar or pine, again symbolizing everlasting life.
- All Advent Wreaths should have 4 Candles around the perimeter of the circle.
- 4 Candles, 3 purple and one pink. Sometimes Christians will add a 5th candle in the middle of White.
- 3 Purple candles symbolize, Faith, Hope and Love with the pink candle symbolizing Joy!
- The White Candle if added is a symbol of Christ and the Light of the World.
How do you use the Advent wreath? Well for most Christians, each Sunday before Christmas is a countdown to the Big Event! Not the coming of Santa Claus, but rather the coming of the Christ child. Each Sunday for the 4 weeks before Christmas, a candle is lit and the family sometimes will read the Bible story of the coming of Christ.
Week 1 will see one purple candle lit, week 2 two purple candles are lit, week 3 the pink candle is lit, and week 4 the last purple candle is lit. Why the Pink candle? Well as it gets closer and closer to the actual Christmas day, you can feel the Joy of the family waiting in anticipation. By Christmas all 4 Candles are burning brightly. Some family's will add that 5th candle, a White One, on Christmas Day symbolising the birth of the Christ Child.
Many times some of the symbolism will be scrapped and white or gold or red candles will replace the purple and pink, or a color of your choice to match your decor. It is entirely up to you and your beliefs if you have an traditional Advent Wreath in your home. Christmas will come one way or another, but sometimes it's nice to have the reminders of the reason for the season and help your family understand the story!
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