The Countdown to Christmas: The Advent Wreath
Advent is the season that marks the countdown to Christmas. In the Christian calendar, it begins on the first Sunday of Advent and ends on December 24th.
The Surprisingly Practical Origin of the Advent Wreath
In 1833, Johann Hinrich Wichern convinced wealthy Hamburg politicians and merchants that the city's poor and orphaned children needed help. Of the total population of about 50.000 inhabitants in Hamburg at that time, over 60% were living in poverty. With the money he received, he founded a "rescue village outside the city gates," as he called it, for poor Hamburg children. Today it is still known in Hamburg as "Das Rauhe Haus" and still supports families and people in need of food, an open ear, a lending hand or other support.
He took in children off of the street and in December (as all children do) they got excited for Christmas. The children's constant questions about when Christmas would finally arrive must have gotten on his nerves at some point, so he invented the Advent wreath.
He took a wooden wagon wheel and and decorated it with some pine branches. Then, for every day until Christmas, he added a total of 24 candles, 4 big white ones for each Advent Sunday, as well as 20 smaller red candles for the workdays. Each day, another candle was lit, and the children could then count down the days until December 24th themselves.
The original name of the Advent Wreath is therefore:
Wichernscher Adventskranz (Wichern's Advent Wreath)
The First Sunday of Advent
You may notice our Wreath above has 28 candles and not 24. This is because Advent starts on the First Sunday of Advent, not on December 1st like most Advent Calenders today.
The earlist start date for the first Sunday could be on November 27th and the latest could be on December 3rd. This means that the number of days of Advent could range between 22 days and 28 days.
The First Sunday of Advent is also extremely important for Genealogy (even before the Advent wreath existed):
The first day of the liturgical year in the Western Christian Churches begins on the first Sunday of Advent.
In church books, marriage, baptism and burial records were organized by the church year rather than the calendar year.
This is important to remember when you are searching for church records and interpreting dates!
Advent Before the Wreath
Long before the Advent wreath existed, Advent was already observed as a season of preparation. In the early Christian church, Advent was a period of fasting and reflection. Its focus was not only on the birth of Jesus, but also on spiritual readiness and anticipation.
By the Middle Ages, Advent had become firmly established in the church calendar across Europe. While customs varied by region, the four-Sunday structure was already in place, helping standardize the season and shape later traditions.
The Advent Wreath Today
Today the Advent Wreath traditionally holds 4 candles each one lit on a Sunday before christmas until all 4 are lit.
The four Sundays of Advent traditionally represent four stages of preparation for Christmas. While wording varies slightly between churches and regions, the meanings are widely recognized and consistent.
The Four Stages of Advent
Hope
The First Sunday of Advent focuses on hope and expectation. It looks ahead to the coming of Christ and reflects themes of anticipation and promise.Peace
The Second Sunday emphasizes peace. It is associated with preparation and reflection, often linked to John the Baptist and the call to spiritual readiness.Joy
The Third Sunday of Advent is centered on joy. Known in many traditions as Gaudete Sunday, it marks a shift toward celebration as Christmas draws closer.Love
The Fourth Sunday highlights love. It focuses on the events immediately leading up to Christmas and the message of love embodied in the birth of Jesus.
However you celebrate this time of year, enjoy the countdown to Christmas and the New Year, and we wish you very happy holidays!
