ADVENT CALENDAR December 14th - the Advent Wreath

Several people have asked about the origin and meaning of the Advent Wreath. Let me offer a brief history.
The Advent Wreath was first used by Pastor Johann Hinrich Wichern, who founded an orphanage in Hamburg in 1833. He was quite progressive for his time. The 120 children whom he took in all learned to read, write and do simple arithmetic. They were housed in small houses with a "house father" and not more than 12 children each. Physical punishment was frowned upon, and a system of "pedagogical conversations" installed to promote discipline. Wichern wanted not simply to rescue these children from their usually appalling circumstances; he also sought to instill in them a devotion to God and a positive work ethic, so that they might grow up to be happy citizens able to earn their "daily bread."
During the weeks leading up to Christmas the children would ask daily how much longer it would be. Wichern thought about how to make the answer visible.
In 1838 he took a wagon wheel and fastened candles upon it: four big white ones for the four Sundays preceding Christmas and small red ones for all the days in between. He hung it up in the prayer hall. Each day an additional candle was lit, until all of them burned at Christmas. This increasing light was meant to symbolize the coming of Christ as the "light of the world."
In succeeding years, the walls of the hall were decorated with pine boughs, and in 1860 the wooden wheel itself was bound with pine. Thus was inaugurated a tradition that rapidly spread to Protestant families in all the German-speaking countries and on to the rest of Europe. In 1925 an Advent Wreath was used for the first time in a Catholic church, in the Cathedral on Cologne.
Different colors have been used for the candles, with various symbolic meanings. In the United States it is widely used in Anglican, Catholic, Lutheran and Methodist churches. The small candles have disappeared, and the wreath is usually much smaller now, but the four candles for the four Sundays preceding Christmas have remained.
There is an obvious similarity to Hanukah in the fact that an increasing number of candles are lit.

Translated from Wichern's diary:
"...What is more precious than a quiet Sunday morning, when it is gray outside and brightly lit indoors, when the soul thinks Psalms and can drink God's peace as from golden cups? After church, all gather in the Prayer Hall for Advent. There it seems to be spring, with the walls festooned with green and the scent of pine in the air. The eyes of the boys and girls look up happily to the chandelier. What they see there is familiar. It is a simple wreath, supported by the arms of the chandelier, and on the wreath the first candle is lit, because today is the first Sunday in Advent. And when you come again tomorrow, two candles will burn, and the day after, three, and every day one more. The more candles are lit, the closer is Christmas and the happier the boys and girls. And when they are all lit, then He is here, Christ, in all his Glory."







Now let's go look at the Advent Calendar for today! Number 14...







Here is Oma - Grandmother - sitting in her chair telling the children stories, no doubt about the Christkind, the Christ child... See the cozy stove on the wall? With the apples roasting?







Have a magical day!