The Meaning of the Advent Wreath

The Advent wreath is made from evergreen leaves which stand for eternity, God’s eternal love for us (which is ever green, ever new), shown in the promise and birth of the Messiah, his Son. Holly is traditionally used as part of the wreath, with the sharp points of the leaves reminding us of the crown of thorns (the German name for holly is Christdorn meaning ‘Christ-thorn’).

The circular shape of the wreath (a crown of thorns) also stands for eternity (the ring goes round without beginning or end).

Red berries stand for the drops of blood which Jesus shed for us (in the Christian tradition, the joy of Christ’s birth is always tempered by the knowledge that this child will end his life on the cross).  Sometimes a red ribbon is tied through the wreath – this too stands for Christ’s blood, the cost of our redemption.

The four candles represent the four weeks of Advent, the season of preparation for Christmas.  Purple is the liturgical color of Advent and rose (or pink) is a special color that may be used on the 3rd Sunday of Advent (known as Gaudete Sunday meaning ‘rejoice’ from the Latin antiphon at the beginning of Mass: ‘Rejoice in the Lord always; again I say, rejoice!’ (cf. Philippians 4:4-5).

In some traditions, the first candle represents prophecy (the prophecy of the birth of a Messiah in Isaiah) or hope, the second love, the third joy, and the fourth peace (sometimes known as the angels’ candle after the angels which appeared singing ‘Glory to God in the highest and peace to men of goodwill’).

Sometimes a fifth white candle is added in the center of the wreath.  This is lit on Christmas Eve to mark the coming of Christ the Light.

From The Jesuit Institute