AWCH The Advent Wreath

Christmas will soon be upon us; but before we get to that magical time of year, we have the joy of Advent to guide us on our way. We always had an Advent wreath when I was a child in the U.S., but that was nothing in comparison to the Advent wreaths one finds in Hamburg.

Maybe it could be because the Advent wreath was first created in Hamburg by Johann Hinrich Wichern in 1839. On the first day of Advent, he stuck a big white candle on a wooden ring in the great room of his shelter for juveniles. Then he added six small red candles until the second Sunday of Advent, when he added another big white candle. This way his great room got a little bit brighter every day until Christmas, when he had 24 candles burning.

Here is some information about other things you can use to decorate your Advent wreath and the symbolism behind them:

Your wreath should be round and made of evergreen branches. These both symbolize God’s never-ending love. You can buy ready-made Advent wreaths all around town, or learn to bind your own.
Use four red candles to symbolize the four Sundays of Advent and the color red to symbolize that Jesus eventually died for us, even though now we are preparing to celebrate his birth.
Use golden nuts to symbolize the difficulties and bitterness that one has to endure in life. When we trust in God, he will help transform our sorrows and provide comfort and support.
Use a chain of beads to symbolize that Jesus’ birth freed us from our guilt; he broke the chains that previously bound us.
Use wooden apples to symbolize the forbidden fruit. With the arrival of Jesus, he eliminated everything that could separate us from God, and the apples remind us of the forbidden apple Adam and Eve ate from.
Use stars to symbolize the star of Bethlehem, and gold glitter to symbolize how valuable God’s love is to us. He gave us what he held most valuable, and with the gold we want to show our thanks.

Have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.