Imagine for a moment that you’re driving home for the holidays. You’re stuck in traffic, gifts are piled in the trunk, and the radio fills the car with old-timey carols and ads for deals at Best Buy. And then a voice breaks through the idling engines and jingling bells: “Are we there yet?”
And in similar fashion began the advent wreath right here in Hamburg, Germany.
The year was 1839 and Johann Hinrich Wichern was pastor of the Rauhes Haus mission school. Every day the children would ask him if it Christmas yet, and Wichern (like generations of parents have aspired to do before and after) devised a clever way to end the nagging. He fashioned the first ever advent “wreath” out of an old cartwheel by turning it on its side and affixing 24 small red candles and four large white candles. Each day of the week, a small red candle would be lit – except on Sunday, when a white candle was set ablaze.
Eventually, evergreen boughs were added and the candles were reduced to only four, for the household sized wreaths we know today.
Whether simple or ornate, many candles or few, the advent wreath is a fun and meaningful way to count-down to Christmas.
We all have unique holiday traditions, but there are also many that we share. The tradition of the advent wreath can be found in many countries in homes, churches, and even public spaces. It is something that teaches us to bring light into darkness, to look forward to the future, and to connect with those near and far. And to learn that it all started right here in Hamburg was a real Christmas treat!
Worth a Journey 