Origins of the "Advent Wreath"
Advent wreaths light up holiday
Advent means a great deal for German Christians of both Protestant and Roman Catholic confession. It is a time of quiet contemplation which begins on the fourth Sunday before Christmas Day.
The festive advent wreath, usually decorated with four candles but sometimes with only one, has its roots in the northern city of Hamburg. In German homes, one of the most popular symbols of the season is the evergreen advent wreath.
The festive wreath, usually decorated with four candles, has its roots in the northern city of Hamburg, where in 1839 the very first advent wreath was hung in the prayer hall of the Rauhes Haus charity.
To begin with, the circular wreath of pine branches found favor in the homes of Protestant families, particularly those living in northern Germany. In the 1920s, though, Roman Catholics began to adopt the custom, too.
Originally decorated with 24 candles — one for each day of Advent — the number has long been reduced to four. Some people even prefer just a single candle.
Yet the older tradition lives on in the form of the Advent or Christmas calendar with 24 windows on its face. It, too, is a German invention which became a custom around the turn of the century and has advanced to worldwide popularity over the past 50 years.
The windows or small doors which denote each day open to reveal sweets or other small gifts.
In Germany, much effort goes into most of the calendars. One of the largest of them all stands in the center of the southern German town of Gengenbach, where 24 windows of the town hall are decorated with festive motifs.
From "The Week in Germany" [info@germany.info]
Advent means a great deal for German Christians of both Protestant and Roman Catholic confession. It is a time of quiet contemplation which begins on the fourth Sunday before Christmas Day.
The festive advent wreath, usually decorated with four candles but sometimes with only one, has its roots in the northern city of Hamburg. In German homes, one of the most popular symbols of the season is the evergreen advent wreath.
The festive wreath, usually decorated with four candles, has its roots in the northern city of Hamburg, where in 1839 the very first advent wreath was hung in the prayer hall of the Rauhes Haus charity.
To begin with, the circular wreath of pine branches found favor in the homes of Protestant families, particularly those living in northern Germany. In the 1920s, though, Roman Catholics began to adopt the custom, too.
Originally decorated with 24 candles — one for each day of Advent — the number has long been reduced to four. Some people even prefer just a single candle.
Yet the older tradition lives on in the form of the Advent or Christmas calendar with 24 windows on its face. It, too, is a German invention which became a custom around the turn of the century and has advanced to worldwide popularity over the past 50 years.
The windows or small doors which denote each day open to reveal sweets or other small gifts.
In Germany, much effort goes into most of the calendars. One of the largest of them all stands in the center of the southern German town of Gengenbach, where 24 windows of the town hall are decorated with festive motifs.
From "The Week in Germany" [info@germany.info]
posted by Papa, aka Don at 2:07 PM
2 Comments:
I can see that the German's hold the patents on advent calendars. A variation on the cuckoo clock, nicht wahr?
Too bad we can't edit our comments for typos! So embarrassing, that extra apostrophe.
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