The Advent wreath is a wreath, or circle, of evergreens, made in various sizes. It is either suspended from the ceiling by ribbons (preferably purple) or placed on a table. The devotion is usually incorporated during the family meal, or during family night prayers. Fastened to the wreath are four candles standing upright, at equal distances. These candles represent the four weeks of Advent. Three of the candles are purple, reminding us of the penitential nature of the season. A rose or pink candle is lit for the Third Sunday of Advent, also known as Gaudete (rejoice) Sunday. The name is taken from the entrance antiphon or Introit "Rejoice (gaudete) in the Lord always, again I say, rejoice." It is reminding us that the end of Advent is almost here, and we can hardly contain our joy.
The wreath should be in a circle, a symbol of eternity, and a reminder that God has no beginning nor end. The evergreen is a symbol of eternal life and a reminder that God is immutable or unchangeable. (via)
The appearance of the actual Advent wreath is varied—everyone has their own interpretation of the Advent wreath. The look of your family's wreath depends on how much time and creativity you devote to it. Your family can create their own special wreath, or add personal touches to a store-bought wreath. We make ours different every year depending on the supplies we have on hand. I like to use what I have on hand.
For our Advent Wreath this year, we used white candles because we could not find the purple and pink in our area. So to make up for the candle colors, we wrapped the candles with yarn, three purple and one pink.
Supplies we used:
- 4 candles
- small Nativity Figure
- yarn for colors
- flat glass dish to hold candles
- large candle holder to hold base up (or other wide base like an empty flower pot)
- evergreens & pine cones
- artificial wreath
- scissors
- ornaments
First the candles were wrapped with yarn. We placed the base on the table in the center of the artificial wreath.
The flat dish was placed over the candle holder, then we placed the Nativity scene in the center. The four candles were placed at equal distances around the Nativity Scene as seen below.
We added extra evergreens to add dimension and texture. We then added pine cones and ornaments randomly around the wreath.
Thank you for visiting! Love having you over,
Do you place an Advent Wreath in your home?
Have you ever thought about adding it to your family tradition?
