Advent Traditions
Advent: A Season of Hope & Promise
Festive Advent calendars, candles, and wreaths are a familiar sight in the four weeks leading up to Christmas. For many, especially families with young children, these delightful symbols of the holiday season have become a fun and very visual way to count-down the days of December leading up to Christmas Day. What some may not realize is that Advent has deep roots within Christian religious tradition going back hundreds of years. Advent is a distinct period or season within the church year that is set apart by a variety of faith practices which are unique to the season and are rich in Christian symbolism.
The liturigical Season of Advent falls during the four weeks preceeding Christmas Day. The First Sunday in Advent actually marks the beginning of the church year in Western Christian tradition. Advent is a season filled with hope and expectation as Christians around the world prepare for the celebration of the birth of Jesus and the Holy Feast and commemoration days central to the Christmas Season.
The Season of Advent simultaneously ends and culminates in the celebration of the Christ Child's birth on December 25th. It is a time for quiet spiritual reflection and renewal amidst the excitement, wonder, and anticipation that the holiday season brings!
How the Advent Wreath Originated
As with many Christian practices, the origins of present-day Advent observances can be traced back to pre-Christian rituals performed at the time of the winter solstice. It was Christians in Germany who first adapted these early pagan rituals, involving candle-lit evergreen wreaths, to their own faith practices and holiday festivities. The custom of the candle-lit Advent Wreath has since become one of the most popular practices of the Advent Season, evolving into a beloved tradition rich in Christian symbolsm, and practiced annually in homes and churches around the world.
The Symbolism of the Advent Wreath
Advent Wreaths are traditionally circular and are made with evergreen boughs and other festive greenery. The unbroken ring of ever-green boughs symbolize the Christian belief in the promise of new and everlasting life, which is central to the Christain observance of the Christmas celebration. Candle-lit yule logs, or more flame resistant alternatives to the evergreen wreath, are also commonly used in homes and places of worship.
There are four colored candles on the Advent wreath; one to be lit during each week of Advent during times of prayer and devotion. For Christians, each candle represents the light and promise of the Christ Child entering a world of darkness. The Season of Advent coincides with the winter solstice. The brightly lit Advent Candles stand in stark contrast to the long, dark days of December, echoing this spiritual theme each time the candles are lit.
As in nature, the colors of the church year change with the season. Depending up one's faith tradition, Advent Candles may be either blue, the symbolic color of hope and anticipation, or purple, symbolizing penitance and royalty. Frequently, a rose-colored candle, symbolic of joy, is included as the the third of the four weekly devotional candles. Thus, the Third Sunday in Advent is referred to as Joy Sunday and themes of rejoicing and celebration are the focus of the day and week following. A fifth, white candle, symbolic of purity and referred to as the Christ Candle, is placed in the center of the Advent wreath and is traditionally lit on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day.
The Significance of the Advent Candles
In much the same way as pictures in a story book help bring the story and characters to life, the candles on the Advent Wreath help guide the telling of the Christmas story. Several different thematic sequences exist for each of the four Advent Candles with each sequence helping to emphasize different aspects of the Christmas story.
With the lighting of each weekly devotional candle the Christmas story gradually unfolds as one's attention is directed onto a specific biblical figure or religious theme represented by that particular candle. From Old Testiment prophecy through New Testiment fulfillment, the story of the Christ Child's birth is read around the candle-lit wreath in the weeks preceeding Christmas.
The first candle to be lit on the Advent Wreath is the candle of Expectation or Hope and is commonly referred to as the Prophecy Candle. The remaining three candles are known by various names the most common of which are the Peace, Love, & Joy candles or the Bethlehem, Shepherd, and Angels candles.
The beautiful colors, scents, symbolism, and rituals associated with the Season of Advent make it an especially exciting time for children who are included in the many Advent preparations taking place both at home and in places of worship. Children often help make the family Advent Wreath which then becomes the candle-lit focal point for family devotions in the weeks leading up to Christmas. Depending upon their age, children often help with the lighting or extinguishing of the Advent candles, scripture readings, and prayer and in doing so participate in the telling of the Christmas story in the wonder-filled days before Christmas.
