Advent Candle

Here are some facts about the advent candle. It is a wonderful tradition. Different folks do it in different ways, so there is no "wrong" way to have an advent candle.

The Advent wreath was likely first used in the Middle Ages. The design was borrowed from the customs of pre-Christian (primarily Germanic and Scandinavian) peoples, who used candles and greenery as symbols during the dark and dead winter, often paired together representing light and life. The Advent Wreath is a circular evergreen wreath with four or five candles, three purple, one rose, and (if you use the five-candle model), one white one for Christmas Day. If used, the white candle is placed in the center. Some Protestant traditions have been using 4 blue candles recently. However, Catholics still use the traditional colors because they dually symbolize both royalty and penitence, two important Advent themes.

A wreath may be hand-crafted of real or artificial materials, or may be purchased at craft and candle stores. The candles symbolize the light of Christ coming into the world. The evergreen symbolizes renewal in Christ, the kind of renewal hoped for by those before Christ's first coming, and the ultimate renewal we long for in Christ's second coming. The circular shape symbolizes the completeness of God. It is likely the symbolism came after the actual wreath was conceived of, but that does not detract from the power of the symbols.

The candle colors are derived from the traditional liturgical colors of Advent and Christmas, purple and white respectively. The rose color likely is derived from an old Catholic custom of wearing rose colored vestments on the third Sunday in Advent (and fourth Sunday in Lent), called Gaudete Sunday, i.e. "Rejoice" Sunday. Each candle is first lit on the appropriate Sunday of Advent, and then the candles may be lit each day as a part of the individual or family's daily prayers. Certain candles have been given various names. Some systems name the candle thusly:
1. Hope (purple)
2. Peace (purple)
3. Joy (rose; the corresponding Sunday is "Gaudete Sunday")
4. Love (purple)
5. Christ (white)
Others do it like this:
1. Patriarchs
2. Prophets
3. John the Baptist
4. Mary the mother of Jesus.
5. Christ the light of the world


Since the Advent Wreath is a devotion, there are a variety of ways to make use of it, and we encourage you to develop your own customs and prayers if you wish, based in Scripture and Church Tradition. You may choose to light the wreath only on Sundays, however some families light the wreath daily to more fully celebrate Advent.