Posts Tagged ‘Advent Candles’
The Advent Candle Meaning
The Advent candle meaning goes back many years. With the darkness of the days and nights leading up to Christmas, the candle provided light.
Candles also symbolized the hope for Spring and renewal, which seemed so far away, during the darkest days of the year.
Advent means the coming of something; in this case, Advent is the coming of Jesus Christ into this world. As such, the candle also symbolized the light of God.
Advent Candles
Advent is celebrated in the Western churches on the four weeks preceeding Christmas. The candles are traditionally placed into a wreath of evergreens. The tradition of the wreath itself comes from the Germanic peoples of Europe, and later spread throughout Europe and to the rest of the world.
Candles are lit each day during the Advent season. One candle is lit on the first week, usually during evening prayers, or at least before evening's dinner.
Two candles are lit the second week; three the week after, and the fourth week, all four are lit at night.
The Candle Colors
The candles for Advent have different colors. Three of the candles are purple (violet), while the fourth one is rose (pink). However, should any of the colors be a problem, either four violet candles or four white candles can be substituted.
When using violet and rose candles, the violet are lit in weeks one through three, while the rose candle is lit the final week of Advent.
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The Advent candle meaning as far as the purple color is that purple is the color of royalty. It is also the traditiional church colors for the season, for the four weeks preceeding Christmas.
Wreaths using other colors are decorative, but are not technically true Advent wreaths.
I hope you have enjoyed this information on the Advent candle meaning. You can also see some additional information on holiday candles in this site.
Tags: Holiday Candles
When we hear "holiday candles", we tend to think of Thanksgiving and Christmas. They are definitely the big "candle buying" time of year, with approximately 35% of all candles sold during this time.
But there are other holidays where candles when candles are burned as well. For example, where would jack-o-lanterns be without candles? It would definitely be difficult to see their grins in the dark!
Let's take a look at some holiday candle traditions and some ideas.
Advent, Christmas and Chanukah
December is obviously a big time for candles, with these three holidays. Advent and Chanukah especially feature candles as a large part of the celebration and ceremony.
These three are so wrapped up in the candles and their meanings, that each has its own page -- Advent, Christmas and Chanukah -- where you can discover more information.
Other Holiday Candles (or Candle Holidays)
What are some other examples of holiday candles thoughout the year?
Valentine's Day
Valentine's Day is associates with romance, and what's more romantic than dinner by candlelight? Soft music plays in the background, and the candles softly shed their light, setting a romantic mood indeed.
Memorial Day
On Memorial Day, many will light a candle to remember the brave men and women who gave their lives defending our nation.
4th of July
The 4th of July is a holiday that is often spent outside, with a grilled meal. But it's Summer, and Summer often means insects! Many people swear by burning citronella candles to keep the bugs away. Actually, it's probably more the smoke that keeps the bugs away, but whatever works...
Halloween
I mentioned earlier about the traditional use of candles in a jack 'o lantern. But candles are also popular at Halloween parties, to eerie cast shadows around the room.
Thanksgiving
This is another holiday where candles play an important part. Many lovely table decorations include one or more candles. Also, a richly scented candle in pumpkin or apple pie aromas gets everyone's mouth watering for dinner (er, dessert)!
Kwanzaa
Although it falls in December, I didn't include it with the Advent / Chanukha / Christmas section because Kwanzaa is less widely-known holiday.
During Kwanzaa , seven candles are lit which are symbols referencing the Nguzu Saba, There are three red candles to the right, three green candles to the left and one black candle in the center of the kinara (holder).
Just keep in mind that you don't need a holiday or other special occasion to burn candles -- they are appropriate 365 days a year!