Der Adventkranz – The Advent Wreath
The Advent wreath, is a Christian tradition that symbolizes the passage of the four weeks of Advent in the liturgical calendar of the Western church. The ring or wheel of the Advent wreath of evergreens decorated with candles was a symbol in northern Europe long before the arrival of Christianity. The circle symbolized the eternal cycle of the seasons while the evergreens and lighted candles signified the persistence of life in the midst of winter.
In family practice, the Advent wreath is lit at dinner time after the blessing of the food.
Candle Colors:
In Catholic churches, the most popular colors for the Advent candles are purple and rose. In the Western church, purple is the historic liturgical color for three of the four Sundays of Advent: once the color associated with royalty, it symbolizes Christ as the “Prince of Peace.” Rose is the color for the Third Sunday of Advent, known as Gaudete Sunday from the Latin word “rejoice”. Gaudete Sunday anticipates the joy of the Christmas celebration, so its color is a mixture of Advent purple and Christmas white. It may also symbolize the color of early dawn.
In Protestant churches it is more common to use four red candles (reflecting their traditional use in Christmas decorations) because rose vestments and decorations are not commonly used in Protestant churches.
Advent (from Latin: adventus) means arrival and it marks the time of “Vorfreude” (the joy of anticipation) before Christmas.
1. Sonntag im Advent („1. Advent“)
Ad te levavi (Ad te levavi animam meam: „Zu dir erhebe ich meine Seele“, Ps 25,1 EU)
Liturgische Farbe: violett
2. Sonntag im Advent („2. Advent“)
Populus Sion (Populus Sion, ecce Dominus veniet ad salvandas gentes: „Volk von Zion, siehe, der Herr wird kommen, zu retten die Völker“, Jes 30,19.30 EU)
Liturgische Farbe: violett
3. Sonntag im Advent („3. Advent“)
Gaudete (Gaudete in Domino semper: „Freut euch im Herrn allezeit“, Phil 4,4 EU)
Liturgische Farbe: violett oder rosa (aufgehelltes Violett wegen des freudigen Charakters des Sonntags Gaudete)
4. Sonntag im Advent („4. Advent“)
Rorate (Rorate, caeli desuper, et nubes pluant iustum: „Tauet, ihr Himmel, von oben, ihr Wolken, regnet den Gerechten: Es öffne sich die Erde und sprosse den Heiland hervor“, Jes 45,8 EU)
Liturgische Farbe: violett
HOW TO MAKE AN ADVENT WREATH: Detailed instructions: http://www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/activities/view.cfm?id=954
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Hi, I enjoyed your explanation of Advent, however, I have never ever in all the years I lived in Germany (till I was 28), and visited my family after leaving, seen anything but red candles. We are catholic. We also always had wreaths in the schools and the candles were red, all 4 of them.
Hallo Ulrike,
thank you for your comment, happy that you enjoyed it! As far as we know red candles are protestant, but the Roman Catholic liturgical ones have three purple ones and one pink one for the third Sunday. However there are definitely different “Brauchtum” allover the world, the 3rd Sunday is special in any case 🙂
Hi, I enjoyed your explanation of Advent, however, I have never ever in all the years I lived in Germany (till I was 28), and visited my family after leaving, seen anything but red candles. We are catholic. We also always had wreaths in the schools and the candles were red, all 4 of them.
Hallo Ulrike,
thank you for your comment, happy that you enjoyed it! As far as we know red candles are protestant, but the Roman Catholic liturgical ones have three purple ones and one pink one for the third Sunday. However there are definitely different “Brauchtum” allover the world, the 3rd Sunday is special in any case 🙂