There is evidence to suggest that Christians in the Middle Ages used lighted wreaths to

prepare for Christmas, but the first confirmed account of the Advent wreath dates back to

16th century German Lutherans. They used these lit wreaths as a visual way to keep Christ

the focus of Christmas and the Advent season. The four candles nestled in the branches of

an evergreen wreath represent the coming of the light of Christ into the world. On the first

Sunday of Advent, the first candle is lit. It’s called the Prophecy Candle in remembrance of

the prophets, primarily Isaiah who foretold the coming of Christ. This candle represents

hope and expectation of the coming Messiah. “Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a

sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.”

(Isaiah 7:14)

On the second Sunday of Advent, the second candle, the Bethlehem Candle, is lit. It

symbolizes the manger Christ was laid in as a baby. “And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye

shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.” (Luke 2:12)

On the third Sunday, the pink candle is lit. Called the Shepherds Candle, it represents joy.

“And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over

their flock by night. And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the

Lord shone round them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, Fear not:

for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you

is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.” (Luke 2: 8-11)

The last candle is lit on the fourth and last Sunday of Advent. The Angel Candle symbolizes

peace, the peace that Christ brought to the world at his birth. “And suddenly there was

with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in

the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.” (Luke 2: 13-14)

A more modern idea is to add a fifth, white candle in the center of the wreath. This candle

is lit on Christmas Eve and is called the Christ candle. It symbolizes the life of Christ come

to the world. The color represents purity as Christ is the spotless Savior and those who

receive him are washed white as snow. (Isaiah 1:18)

There is another variation of the advent wreath begun by a German theologian in the 19th

century named Johann Hinrich Wichern. In 1839, he used a wreath as a way to teach the

children about Christ. For the four Sundays of Advent, he put four white candles in a

wreath. For the days in between, Wichern placed a small red candle, spaced between the

larger white candles. One for each day. He would light one candle every day giving the

children a visual way to count the days to Christmas and it gave him a means to draw their

attention to the true meaning of Christmas. Each day as they lit a candle, he would teach

them about Christ.

Celebrating the weeks before Christmas with an Advent wreath is still an excellent way to

keep Christ the center of all our festivities and to teach our children the true meaning of

Christmas.