The Advent wreath is one of the most prominent symbols of the Advent season, and it has amazing symbolism behind it that most people do not know about.
The first thing to consider is the wreath itself. The Church uses an evergreen wreath to symbolize that Christ coming brings life to the whole world, and the use of an evergreen wreath is because during December most plants and trees have died, all except for the evergreen trees which still thrive during the cold days of winter.
The shape of an Advent wreath is circular, and this is to show us God’s infinite love for us since it has no beginning or end.
Moving from the wreath we look at the candles. Besides showing us the passage of Advent, the candles also show us a rich symbolism that the Church has adopted for the liturgical season. Candles are used because they light up the darkness, and as Christmas approaches a candle is lit to bring in more light. This light reflects how the birth of Jesus brings light to the world. The colors of the candles are violet and rose. Violet symbolizes the liturgical color for this season and represents a time of waiting and preparing, while rose represents a time of rejoicing. The rose candle is lit on the third Sunday of Advent called Gaudete Sunday (Gaudete is a Latin word for rejoice).
Each candle has a deeper meaning behind it as well. The first candle is called the “prophet’s candle” which reminds us of the prophets foretelling of the coming of Christ and it is used as the first week’s candle to remind us to remain hopeful for Christ’s second coming. The second week’s candle is called the “Bethlehem candle” and represents the journey that Joseph and Mary took to Bethlehem. The third week’s candle is the rose candle which represents the joy that we have at the coming of Christ. The last candle called the “angel’s candle” reminds us of the Angels’ message to the shepherds of “peace on earth and goodwill to men.”
The Advent season is a great time to deepen our spiritual lives. Take a moment to meditate about the meaning behind the Advent wreath. It is not purely for decoration purposes, but is an amazing reminder of Christ’s love, and the joy that we have during the Christmas season. |
