Candles, Holly and Mistletoe

“O Come All Ye Faithful

Joyful and Triumphant

O Come Ye... O Come Ye...”

The singer, Jim Reeves croons loudly as I go about writing a Christmas piece for all of you. My eyes fall on the candles and I delete the entire write-up and start afresh. I’ve decided to tell you about the Advent candles and the Advent wreath. So here goes...

Now, you’ll wonder what Advent is. So, let me enlighten you. Advent, my dear friends is a time of expectation and hope filled with rich traditions. ‘Advent’, the word derived from the Latin word ‘adventus’ literally means ‘arrival’ or ‘coming’. It prompts one to remember why Jesus came at Christmas. The advent wreath and candles are replete with beautiful symbolism for each week of advent as Christ’s coming is awaited. This period lasts for four Sundays leading up to Christmas.

On each of these four Sundays Advent candles are lit symbolizing that Jesus is the Light of the World who came to wipe away the darkness. The most common Advent candle tradition involves four candles placed within an evergreen wreath. A new candle is lit on each of the four Sundays before Christmas. Quite often, the first, second, and fourth candles are purple; the third candle is rose-colored. Sometimes, a fifth white candle is placed in the middle of the wreath and is lit on Christmas Day. At some places, all the candles are red; and yet in other traditions, all four candles are white.

• The first candle is a symbol of hope and is called the ‘Prophet’s Candle’. The purple colour symbolizes royalty, repentance, and fasting.

• The second candle is called ‘Bethlehem’s Candle’ and represents faith. This candle is also purple to symbolize the preparation for the coming King.

• The third candle symbolizes joy and is called the ‘Shepherd’s Candle’. The rose colour symbolizes joy and rejoicing.

• The fourth candle represents peace and is called the ‘Angel’s Candle’. The angels announced to the World that Jesus was the Prince of Peace. This purple coloured candle represents the culmination of God’s love through His only Son.

• The fifth candle is white and is symbolic of light and purity and is called ‘Christ’s candle’. It is placed in the middle and lit on Christmas Day.

Have you heard of the Advent Wreath?

Well, it is believed that the Advent wreath first appeared in Germany in 1839. I read somewhere that a Lutheran minister working at a mission for children created a wreath out of the wheel of a cart. He placed twenty small red candles and four large white candles inside the ring. The red candles were lit on weekdays and the four white candles were lit on Sundays.

Over the years, the Advent wreath was created out of evergreens, symbolizing everlasting life in the midst of winter and death. The circle reminds us of God’s never ending love and the eternal life His Son’s sacrifice makes possible. This wreath is a symbol of the season, with Advent candles nestled in the greenery. Holly, pinecones and berries are sometimes added as decorations.

Now, are you wondering about the Holly? Holly is a winter green. Since Medieval times, holly plants symbolize the Christian holiday of Christmas. It is believed that this evergreen is closely connected to rebirth, both of Spring and of Christ. Popularly known as ‘Christ's thorn’ because of their sharply pointed leaves, holly leaves and berries are used as a holiday decoration all over Europe and America.

Alright... so the carols have reached a naughty number and I can’t help giggling as I continue to type away quickly. Do you want to know what the singer is carolling?

“I saw mommy kissing Santa Claus

Underneath the mistletoe last night...”

This reminds me of all the romantic scenes in numerous romance novels of lovers kissing under the mistletoe. On research I learnt that mistletoes are considered a sacred symbol of vivacity and fertility according to Celtic beliefs and hence this practice. Anyway, it will be a good idea to pen a romantic scene on similar lines in my next romance novel. What do you think?

Image Courtesy: pinterest