The history of the Advent wreath is long and symbolic. And yet it can be a simple ritual easily adapted to different family needs and routines. Advent wreaths can be purchased at most Christian book and supply stores, as can booklets containing prayers, scripture and reflection for the Sundays of Advent. Or you could make your own wreath and develop your own ritual. The information and Blessing below will help you get started.  

The traditional Advent wreath is composed of four candles, three purple and one pink, set in a wreath of greenery. The first candle is lit the first Sunday of Advent, and an additional candle each remaining Sunday. The pink candle marks the third Sunday of Advent, Gaudete Sunday. Gaudete means rejoice in Latin and on this day we celebrate that Advent is half finished and Christmas is near. The color pink symbolizes joy. The purple of the other candles symbolizes the prayer, penitence and humility with which we prepare for Christmas. Evergreen boughs signify new life, and the circle of the wreath represents the eternity of God’s love.

Evidence suggests the roots of the Advent wreath stretch back to pre-Christian Germanic peoples who decorated their homes in the dark of winter with wreathes of candles.  Suspended from the ceiling in the main room of the home, they were a mark of hope that the longer, lighter days of spring and summer would soon return. By the 1600’s both many Catholic and Lutheran families in Eastern Europe had adapted this custom to their Advent celebrations. The lighted candles are a tangible reminder of that for which we wait, Christ the Light of the World.

Family Advent Wreath Lighting

You will need:

About 10 minutes

Four candles

Matches or lighter

Bible

Song or music such as:

O Come, O Come Emmanuel

Soon and Very Soon, adapted by William F. Smith, © 1976 Bud Jophn Songs, Inc.

Stay Awake ©1988 Christopher Walker, Published by OCP Publications

Sunday dinner is a good time to light the Advent wreath.  Some families keep the wreath on their table throughout Advent and light the designated candles each time they gather for a meal.

Light the candle.

Share a Scripture reading, perhaps one from Sunday Mass or one of these:

Psalms 42-42:2-3 “As the deer longs for streams of water, so my soul longs for you, O God.”

Isaiah 9:2, 6—7 “the people who walked in darkness have seen a great light."

Matthew 3:1-12 (John the Baptist…repent…)

Romans 8:19, 22-25 “For creation awaits with eager expectation…all creation is groaning with labor pains.”

            Some families do best with a quick prayer; light the candle and move on to dinner. Others enjoy a longer ritual.  When my children were young they enjoyed a procession to the wreath. We’d turn out most of the lights in the house and one child would carry a lighted candle and lead the others marching from the front door, through the living room to the dining room.  We’d sing O Come, O Come Emmanuel and finally gather round to light the wreath and read a Scripture passage.

            Another way we have celebrated advent is by placing electric candles in the windows of our home. As with the wreath we started with one on the first Sunday of Advent and added another each week until Christmas.