The origins of the Advent Wreath are uncertain. There is evidence of pre-Christian Germanic peoples using wreathes with lit candles during the cold and dark December days as a sign of hope in the extended-sunlight days of spring. In Scandinavia, lighted candles were placed around a wheel, and prayers were offered to the god of light to turn “the wheel of the earth” back toward the sun. By the Middle Ages, Christians adapted this tradition and used wreathes as part of their preparation for Christmas. After all, Christ is “the Light that came into the world” to dispel the darkness of sin.
The wreath, made of various evergreens, signifies continuous life. The laurel signifies victory over persecution and suffering; pine, holly, and yew, immortality; and cedar, strength and healing. The prickly leaves of holly remind us our Lord’s crown of thorns. The circle of the wreath, which has no beginning or end, symbolizes the eternity of God as well as the immortality of the soul. Any pine cones, nuts, or seedpods used to decorate the wreath also symbolize life and resurrection.
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 Lord’s Nativity. Three candles are violet and one is rose. Violet symbolizes Advent’s prayer, penance, sacrifices, and good works undertaken at this time. The rose candle is lit on the third Sunday, Gaudete (Rejoice) Sunday because the faithful, arriving at the season’s midpoint, rejoice at the proximity of Christmas.
During the Season of Advent, the venerable image of Our Lady of Guadalupe will be displayed in Our Lady’s Alcove at OLS and at the side altar at St. Anthony. It is an appropriate image during this season because in the image on the tilma, Our Lady desired to be depicted as an expectant Mother. Her head is bowed in homage, indicating that she is the one who bears and worships her Divine Son. We know that Mary was with child in this image because she wears a black belt which was used in the Aztec culture as a “maternity belt.” Under this title, Mary is Queen of the Americas and Patroness of the Pro-Life Movement.