Key Points at a Glance
- The coziest and most comforting time of the year is just around the corner again.
- When it gets cold and dark outside, we simply make our living room bright and cozy.
- An Advent wreath is definitely a must-have during the pre-Christmas season; they come in a variety of styles.
- But who originally came up with the idea for this candle wreath?
The year is 1839. Although there is no acute famine in Central Europe, crop failures occur every few years. There are no wars being waged on the continent at this time, and a few years have already passed since the battles over Basel’s secession from the Swiss Confederation. Yet many people are poor or even destitute, and—as is so often the case—it is the children who are hit the hardest. In northern Germany, a Protestant theologian is caring for the children of the poorest families.
Like the Advent calendar, the wreath also makes the wait for the holiday go by faster
Many mothers and fathers can barely feed their children, let alone provide them with an education. In Hamburg, the theologian and social educator Johann Hinrich Wichern had a soft spot for the poorest members of society—and in 1833 founded the “Rauhe Haus,” a foundation originally intended for children with criminal or behavioral problems.
But after a few years, the Rauhe Haus began taking in neglected children as well; as early as 1835, Wichern established a girls’ home. Because religious education played just as important a role as academic education at the facility, Wichern, the director, came up with a unique idea in 1839. He invented the Advent wreath.
The Advent wreath is also a learning tool
The world’s first Advent wreath was likely also the largest. Wichern decorated a wagon wheel with candles—four of which were large and white (these were lit only on Sundays), while the rest were small and red. The number of red candles varies from year to year because the Advent season is always a different length—which is still the case today.
And even in 1839, Wichern was not yet enthusiastic about decorative embellishments; it wasn’t until 1860 that people began to adorn their wreaths with fir branches. Instead, the Wichern wreath—as the original form is called—served a mathematical and educational purpose: Back then, the number of candles on the Advent wreath indicated the number of days remaining until Christmas. This was meant to help children learn to count. And besides, it made the long wait until the holiday a little more bearable.
More light and a symbol of infinity
Whether it was Wichern’s intention from the very beginning to use the wagon wheel—a circular symbol of God’s infinity (no beginning, no end)—to design an Advent wreath remains an open question. A wonderful side effect of the wreath, however, was that the room grew a little brighter each day, as another candle was lit daily—a large white one every Sunday and a small red one on each weekday. Thus, more and more light flooded into the room day by day.
Just like the Advent calendar, the Advent wreath also dates back to the mid-19th century—though the wreath is twelve years older. By the way, you can find some beautiful Advent calendars here, whether as gifts or for your own use.
