I'm a simple emigrant, and today in Germany is the first Advent

Since it's still November, it's a bit early to open the calendars; instead, it's customary to drink coffee with stollen, discuss plans for Christmas, go to church for a special service, and light the first candle on the Christmas wreath. I will tell you about this wonderful tradition. Back in 1839, Lutheran pastor Johann Hinrich Wichern worked at a school for orphans in Hamburg. It’s a pity that it wasn’t in Frankfurt, but we’re grateful to him anyway. So, a full school of orphan children eagerly awaited Christmas; they endlessly asked, “well, when is Christmas already?” Probably Johann’s heart couldn’t withstand such a flood of sweetness, and he took a wheel from a wagon, decorated it with evergreen branches, and placed 24 candles on it: many small red ones and four large white ones. Every day they lit one candle to mark the approaching Christmas, and on Sundays—the large candles in honor of Advent. This idea was so beloved by the children and quickly spread first through the Protestant churches of the country. Later the small candles were removed, and only four remained—for Advent Sundays. The wreath itself was reduced in size, but the decorations became much more interesting. The sacred meaning did not disappear: evergreen branches in a circle symbolize life and eternity, and the candles symbolize the approaching of Christ. Sometimes they place three violet candles as a symbol of repentance and one pink as joy, and sometimes in the middle they place a fifth candle, which is customary to light on Christmas itself. As with many traditions, postwar German emigrants spread this one around the world. In every country the Advent wreath has taken root well, despite the fact that some countries adapted its use to local traditions. Many of my German acquaintances make such wreaths with their own hands every year, often for themselves and for their relatives. And sometimes it is a whole collaborative activity. Surely it’s pleasant to gather in the evening and craft a wreath for yourself that will decorate the table until the holidays! Have you ever made a Christmas wreath yourself? #holidays #history photo: © Anna Karina Birkenstock, from: Wir feiern Advent. Spannendes für die schönste Zeit, p. 9, © Agentur des Rauhen Hauses Hamburg 2015.