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Advent wreath with a Christ candle in the center. The Advent wreath, or Advent crown, is a Christian tradition that symbolizes the passage of the four weeks of Advent in the liturgical calendar of the Western church. It is traditionally a Lutheran practice, although it has spread to many other Christian denominations. [1] [2] [3]
In churches that have an Advent wreath, the rose-coloured candle is lit in addition to two of the violet- or blue-coloured candles, which represent the first two Sundays of Advent. Despite the otherwise somber readings of the season of Advent, which has as a secondary theme the need for penitence, the readings on the third Sunday emphasize the ...
Typically, three of the four Advent candles are purple—the first, second and fourth ones. The first candle, or "Prophet's Candle," symbolizes hope. The color means royalty, repentance and fasting.
The readings relate to John the Baptist, and the rose-coloured candle may be called the "joy candle", "Mary candle", or "shepherds' candle". [d] Fourth Sunday in Advent: The readings for the fourth Sunday relate to the annunciation of Christ's birth, for which the Magnificat or "Song of Mary" may be featured. The candle may be known as the ...
Items such as the Chrismon/Christmas tree and Advent wreath are placed in the church during the hanging of the greens ceremony. The hanging of the greens is a Western Christian ceremony in which many congregations and people adorn their churches, as well as other buildings (such as a YWCA or university), with Advent and Christmas decorations.
Although the main symbolism of the advent wreath is simply marking the progression of time, many churches attach themes to each candle, most often 'hope', 'faith', 'joy', and 'love'. Other popular devotions during Advent include the use of the Advent Calendar or the Tree of Jesse to count down the days to Christmas.
Blue Christmas (also called the Longest Night) in the Western Christian tradition is a day in the Advent season marking the longest night of the year. [ 1 ] [ 2 ] On this day, some churches in Western Christian denominations hold a church service that honours people that have lost loved ones and are experiencing grief.
Only four bear autograph dates. BWV 61 is dated 1714, with the liturgical designation "am ersten Advent ", [3] the First Sunday of Advent. [4] The prescribed readings for the Sunday were from the Epistle to the Romans, "now is our salvation nearer" (Romans 13:11–14), and from the Gospel of Matthew, the Entry into Jerusalem (Matthew 21:1–9).