The ancient Romans employed decorative wreaths to mark the triumph of the valiant. To most scholars, this is where wreaths came from.Christmas Carnivals takes you to the origin of these floral patterns with History of Christmas Wreaths.
The Advent wreaths can be traced back to the folk traditions of the Germanic pre- Christian tribes who painstakingly collected wreaths of evergreen to start fires in the cold and dark December months of Northern Europe. This was carried out to herald the advent of spring and renewed light. Community traditions such as these were made to survive and towards the 16th century, Christians – both Catholics and Protestants – all over Germany made use of these symbolic markers to realize their Advent hope in Christ, his Resurrection and the source of Eternal Light.
The Advent wreaths gradually began to spread to other parts of Europe from its place of origin, Germany. According to ancient practice, the wreath is made of 4 candles in a circle of the evergreen leaves with the fifth candle being centrally placed. Three candles are violet, the fourth is red while the final candle can be of any color. Some families even use 4 white or 4 violet candles depending on individual preferences.
Each day, the candles are illuminated at homes, presumably prior to the evening meal, one candle for the first week and then another for each passing week till Christmas day. The illumination of every candle is succeeded by a brief prayer for the health and happiness of the family.
The fifth candle is positioned in the middle. The lighting of this special candle on the eve of Christmas day is symbolic of the birth of Christ. Inform yourself about the History of Christmas Wreaths at Christmas Carnivals.
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