Improvise an Advent wreath using backyard greenery and Mason jars filled with scented Epsom salt that hold your Advent candles. (HCH photo | Anna Weaver)
By Anna Weaver
Hawaii Catholic Herald
In case you need a refresher on why Catholics and other Christians use Advent wreaths as a way to prepare for the birth of Christ, we turned to the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ website for a quick summary.
“The Advent season is a time of preparation that directs our hearts and minds to Christ’s second coming at the end of time and to the anniversary of Our Lord’s birth on Christmas,” according to the USCCB.
While other colors are sometimes used, in the U.S., three purple candles and one pink candle are most often incorporated into Advent wreaths. Purple represents “the prayer, penance, and charitable works undertaken during this season.”
Advent is sometimes called “Little Lent,” and like Lent, is marked by the liturgical color of purple. Priests and deacons wear violet vestments and churches are simply decorated. Each week at Mass and at home, a new candle is lit on the Advent wreath.
The first purple candle on the Advent wreath symbolizes Hope of Jesus’ coming. The second purple candle stands for Love or Faith. The one pink or rose candle is lit during the third week of Advent, starting on Gaudete (“Rejoice”) Sunday. The color and week’s theme symbolize Joy, because the coming of the Lord is near. The fourth purple candle marks Peace.
The round wreath shape and evergreens in Advent wreaths emphasize the never-ending love of God.
Easy Advent wreaths
You don’t need to have a wreath ring, fancy greenery, candleholders, or even the right color candles to have an Advent wreath this season.
Here are some ideas for easy, upcycled, and adlibbed Advent wreaths.
Use mason jars filled with sand, salt, pebbles, marbles, whatever, to hold your four candles upright. Place the jars in a circle on a plate, tray or placemat, and decorate it how you’d like. Any greenery from your yard or trimmed Christmas tree branches would go nicely with the candles.
Clear soda bottles or tin cans with labels peeled, wine bottles painted white, and lots of other found items around your house will work as candleholders.
If you can’t find pink and purple candles, get white ones and paint or color them with markers. (See the pictured pink candle at top left.) Speaking of candles, if you can find and afford beeswax ones, they last a lot longer and produce less smoke than other kinds of candles.
Playdoh and birthday candle Advent wreath (HCH Photo: Anna Weaver)
Need a really simple and perhaps small Advent wreath activity to do with your kids or to give to the young adults in your life that they’ll think is fun and doable? Put together a kit with green playdoh/molding clay, pink and purple birthday candles, a box of matches, and the weekly Advent prayers. It’ll bring out the inner child of any adult. Pipe cleaners are another easy option that can be shaped into candles and a wreath.
Paper chains and wreaths are a good way to reuse newspaper or scrap paper (paint the paper green to cover up print).
If you have cloth pieces leftover from other projects (mask-making perhaps), you can cut long rectangular strips from the fabric and tie them around a wreath frame made from cardboard, wire or foam.
As always, never leave a lit candle or flame unattended.
For more ideas, head to our Advent crafts Pinterest board: https://pin.it/2Dkcpt8
