Windsor-Lake St. Clair 

The Advent wreath has been a part of Catholic tradition since the 1600’s. Prior to this, candles and wreaths were used during December as a sign of hope in the future. The wreath can be made of different types of evergreens, each representing life.
 

A wreath without end

The wreath is generally made into a circle, which has no beginning or end, symbolizes the eternity of God, the immortality of the soul, and the everlasting life found in Christ. Any pine cones, nuts, or seedpods used to decorate the wreath also symbolize life and resurrection. All together, the wreath of evergreens depicts the immortality of our soul and the new, everlasting life promised to us through Christ, the eternal Word of the Father, who entered our world becoming true man and who was victorious over sin and death through His own passion, death, and resurrection. 

More than a candle

The four candles represent the four weeks of Advent. A tradition is that each week represents one thousand years, to sum to the 4,000 years from Adam and Eve until the Birth of the Savior. Three candles are purple and one is rose. The purple candles in particular symbolize the prayer, penance, and preparatory sacrifices and goods works undertaken at this time. The rose candle is lit on the third Sunday, Gaudete Sunday, when the priest also wears rose vestments at Mass; Gaudete Sunday is the Sunday of rejoicing, because the faithful have arrived at the midpoint of Advent, when their preparation is now half over and they are close to Christmas. The progressive lighting of the candles symbolizes the expectation and hope surrounding our Lord’s first coming into the world and the anticipation of His second coming to judge the living and the dead. 
 

The light of the world

The light again signifies Christ, the Light of the world. Some traditions include a white candle be placed in the middle of the wreath, which represents Christ and is lit on Christmas Eve. Historically the appropriate candle of the advent wreath was lit at dinner on Sunday after grace was said. Each week adding another candle till all four are lit ending with the last Sunday before Christmas. 


Adapted in part from: Saunders, Rev. William. “The History of the Advent Wreath.” Arlington Catholic Herald.