TEN DAYS UNTIL CHRISTMAS – Advent

A candle is burning, a candle of Joy;
A candle to welcome brave Mary’s new boy.
Our hearts fill with wonder and eyes light and glow
As Joy brightens winter like sunshine on snow.
If I’m honest, I didn’t even know there was an Advent song (see lyrics for the third Advent above). However here in Germany, Advent seems to be a big deal. Instead of people emailing and saying hello, I have received numerous messages from people saying ‘enjoy your first Advent’ etc. Today a neighbour wished us a joyful third Advent…

As children, we always had four candles set out on the table in the run up to the festive season. Then, four Sundays before Christmas the first candle would be lit. We looked forward to each Sunday as that meant Christmas was almost upon us. Plus I had a rather weird obsession with candles… Either way, this also meant delicious food, presents and school holidays were just around the corner!
I am feeling a little too lazy to research the history properly for you, but it was a bit of a crazy night and I’m tired so please forgive me. According to Wikipedia (I know, I know…) there are various possibilities of how the tradition came about. It seems the reason the wreath is in a circle shape is because it is a symbol of the love from God, i.e. it has no beginning or end. The green of the foliage and the candles show life in the harsh winter months. No one really knows when it all began, some say the Middle Ages while others say it became a Christian custom in the 16th century, while others still suggest it didn’t exist until the 19th century. It seems likely though that it started in Germany, or at least in Northern Europe.
We thought as we live in Germany at the moment, it would only be right to get involved in the Advent cheer and buy our own version of the Adventskranz (Advent Wreath). Instead of opting for the more traditional circular green wreath, a friendly man at the Mauerpark Market enticed me with his wooden stars. He said he made them himself and buying one would ensure we would have a lovely Advents time. I was sucked in but I have to say it was a good eight euros spent. Plus he seems to have been correct as the past few weeks have been lovely. I hope you all have a wonderful Advent and that the season is full of candle light and happiness! The next candle is the last one, so Christmas is almost upon us – yey!