The season of Advent is structured around the four Sundays preceding Christmas. The Advent wreath is a 19th-century custom to mark the weeks. On the first Sunday, one candle is lit, and so on until the last week when the wreath is fully lit.
In America, Advent wreaths seem to be something that only churchy people do. In Germany and Scandinavia, land of the Lutherans who invented the practice, it's a more common and less formal practice. Some people make fancy wreaths with metal frames and different colored candles for different weeks, but I like the plainer version I saw in Denmark, which were mostly four candles on a tray with greenery around them.
In my family, after dinner on Sunday we'd turn the lights out, light the week's candles, and sit in the dark together for a while talking.
Do you know / is it meaningful to you what the different Sundays 'stand for'? (I think there's hope, joy, love?)
ReplyDeleteThe third week is "Gaudete Sunday", ("rejoice"). People who do different colored candles do a pink candle for that week and purple the other weeks. I'm not aware that the other weeks have particular meanings.
ReplyDeleteNice Latin! Okay, thanks for the response. :)
ReplyDelete