Seasons, harvest and the calendarEuropeChristian
Advent wreath
In its own language: Adventskranz
An evergreen ring of candles lit week by week in the lead-up to Christmas
The Advent wreath is a circle of evergreens holding four or five candles, lit across the weeks before Christmas. Originating among German Lutherans, it marks the season in churches and homes through weekly lightings, prayers, and scripture readings.
When is Advent wreath marked?
Advent wreath is kept as part of Advent, which runs from 29 November to 22 December 2026.
An Advent wreath is a circular arrangement of evergreen boughs set with candles, used to track the four weeks before Christmas. Practised in churches and private households across Western Christianity, it offers a steady ritual of anticipation. Each Sunday of the season, another candle is set alight alongside devotional readings and prayers, bringing growing light into the winter weeks.
Origins in Hamburg
Early roots of the wreath trace back to German Lutherans in the sixteenth century, but the modern design emerged in 1839. In Hamburg, a pastor named Johann Hinrich Wichern looked after poor children at the Rauhes Haus mission school. When the children repeatedly asked when Christmas would arrive, Wichern built a calendar from a wooden cartwheel, mounting twenty-four small red candles for weekdays and Saturdays alongside four large white candles for Sundays. Over time, Protestant churches adopted a more compact version with four candles. German Roman Catholics took up the practice in the 1920s, and it reached North America during the 1930s.
Colours of the candles
Candle colours vary across Christian denominations. Catholic and Protestant sanctuaries frequently use three violet or blue tapers alongside one rose taper. Violet signals solemn preparation, blue represents hope, and rose marks Gaudete Sunday, a brief joyful pause midway through the season. In the United Kingdom, many churches prefer four red candles, reflecting festive greenery and holiday decorations. Some wreaths place a white Christ candle in the centre, which is ignited on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day. In addition, some Eastern Orthodox households arrange six candles of different colours on a circular base for their forty-day fast.
Symbols and spiritual meaning
Every element of the wreath carries symbolic weight for worshippers. The unbroken circular shape represents divine love without end, while living evergreen foliage stands for the promise of eternal life. Progressively lighting more candles brings physical light into winter darkness, recalling the arrival of Christ. People often dedicate the four candles to hope, peace, joy, and love. In other interpretations, they represent figures from scripture who looked forward to the nativity, including the ancient Hebrew prophets, the town of Bethlehem, the shepherds, and the angels.
How Advent wreath is kept
Observance begins on the First Sunday of Advent. Families or congregations gather to light the first candle, pairing the action with devotional readings and prayers. On each subsequent Sunday, another candle is set alight while earlier candles continue to burn, gradually illuminating the wreath. If a fifth white candle rests in the centre, it is lit on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day to celebrate the nativity.
When and where
The custom begins on the First Sunday of Advent, which falls four Sundays before Christmas Day, usually in late November or early December. It continues throughout the four weeks until Christmas Eve or Christmas Day.
Developed in Germany, the practice is common throughout Western Christian churches and households in Europe and North America, including Lutheran, Roman Catholic, and Anglican congregations.
What Advent wreath means
The round wreath symbolises unending love, and the evergreen boughs represent enduring life. Lighting an additional candle each week reflects spiritual light entering the world. The four outer candles represent hope, peace, joy, and love, with rose marking the joyful third Sunday of the season.
Days Advent wreath is marked
Questions people ask about Advent wreath
When is Advent wreath marked?
Advent wreath is kept as part of Advent, which runs from 29 November to 22 December 2026.
What is an Advent wreath?
It is a ring of evergreen branches holding four or five candles, used by Christian households and churches to mark the four weeks of preparation leading up to Christmas Day.
What do the different candle colours mean?
Churches often use violet or blue candles for solemnity and hope, with one rose candle for Gaudete Sunday to symbolise joy. British churches often use four red candles, while Eastern Orthodox homes may use six distinct colours.
Who created the modern Advent wreath?
Johann Hinrich Wichern, a German Lutheran pastor, introduced the modern design in 1839 in Hamburg, using a cartwheel with candles to help children count down the days until Christmas.
See also
Good FridayA solemn Christian holy day commemorating the crucifixion and death of Jesus Christ.
Christmas EveThe evening before Christmas, marked by church services, family meals, and gift preparations across Christian cultures.
Mardi GrasA festive day of parades and rich foods marking the final celebration before the Christian fasting season of Lent begins
St. Martin's DayA November feast of lantern walks, bonfires, roast goose and new wineGood reading and sources
- BBC - I Love Blue Peter - Trivia about Valerie Singelton, John Noakes, Peter PurvesBBC, Article
- BBC - I Love Blue Peter - Trivia about Valerie Singelton, John Noakes, Peter PurvesBBC, Article
- Advent wreath on WikipediaEncyclopedia
- More photos on Wikimedia CommonsPhotos and video
- Wikidata recordOpen data
The facts on this page come from the Wikipedia article "Advent wreath", written by its contributors and used under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence, and from its Wikidata record (CC0). EveryParampara rewrote the text in its own words, with AI assistance, and compares every page with the article to make sure no passage is copied. It may be reused under the same CC BY-SA 4.0 licence with a link back.
It may contain mistakes. Traditions differ from one family, village and community to the next, and the people who keep them know them best. If something is wrong, tell us. Last refreshed 2026-10-04.
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