We never stop learning.
As you can imagine, the advent calendar is not something I can wing. There's research to be done, pictures to be taken, there's the actual writing (being distracted by all kinds of things of course), and don't think it's that easy to decide on a topic even before doing all of that!
When browsing around I found this on Wikipedia:
An Advent candle is a candle marked with the days of December up to Christmas Eve. It is typically used in a household rather than a church setting: each day in December the candle is burnt down a little more, to the mark for the day, to show the passing of the days leading up to Christmas [...] Advent candles are traditionally white, though other Christmas-themed colors have become popular. The custom of having an Advent candle seems to have started in Germany, where children traditionally insert a small candle into a decorated orange. This candle is called the Christingle. It is now widespread in some other European countries such as the United Kingdom.
Huh?
Sometimes I wonder if I am really German. First the Christmas pickle, now this?
Just wait, though. I went shopping for important things like kitchen tissues and what waited for me there on a shelf? An Advent candle! Well, actually a whole bunch of them in light and dark red and white.
I know it's the ninth today, but I wanted to show it in its unused glory.
Now I'll have to find out about the Christingle because that's another tradition I haven't heard of before. Germany seems to be bigger than I thought! ;-)
Hmm, I have not heard of this. Our tradition is an Advent wreath, which holds three purple candles and one pink one. Each represents a Sunday in Advent, and is lit on its day. We also light the preceding weeks' candles, so on the third Sunday of Advent, we would light the two purple candles previously lit, as well as the pink candle. In my family we only do it at dinner on Sunday nights in Advent.
ReplyDeleteWhen I researched for the advent calendar, I came across the tradition of the differently colored candles for the first time.
DeleteAlthough there are variations here now - also to the beautiful handmade wreaths - it's still traditional here to have four red candles.
I don't have a wreath myself because I don't trust a certain furry someone around open fire, not even if it's just a candle.
What a beautiful candle. It's too pretty to burn.
ReplyDeleteIt is still untouched .... the cats, well, I just don't trust them.
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