The countdown to Christmas with the Advent wreath The countdown to Christmas with the Advent wreath

The countdown to Christmas with the Advent wreath

Making a classic Advent wreath yourself is very easy. We'll show you how.

The classic Advent wreath consists of lush green fir branches that are tied into a wreath and decorated with four candles. Where does the custom of the Advent wreath actually come from and how long has it been around?

Advent wreath prototype on a wagon wheel
The first Advent wreath was placed in a children's home in Hamburg almost 200 years ago. Johann Hinrich Wichern, theologian and founder of the care centre, wanted to make it easier for the children to wait for Christmas. He took a wagon wheel and attached four large and 19 smaller candles on it. The large candles stood for the Sundays of Advent, the smaller ones for the days of the week in between. This allowed the children to count the remaining days until Christmas. Unlike today's Advent calendars, which always start on 1 December, the original Advent wreath had a different number of candles each year: if the fourth Sunday in Advent fell on Christmas Eve, there were 22 candles; the highest number of candles was in the years when Christmas Eve fell on the Saturday after the fourth Sunday in Advent, when there were 28 candles.


The Advent wreath conquers the world
Fir branches with their fresh green colour were not added until around 1860, and by the beginning of the 20th century the wreath had become established in Protestant churches and private homes. During the first half of the 20th century, it was also widely used in Catholic churches and homes. After the Second World War at the latest, it could be found all over the world in all kinds of shapes and made from a wide variety of materials. They only have one thing in common: in contrast to the original wreath, they nowadays only have four candles for reasons of space. To accommodate more than 20 candles, a wreath would have to have a diameter of one to two metres.

At the Rauhen Haus in Hamburg, however, the Wichern tradition is upheld. The original Advent wreath, as invented by Johann Hinrich Wichern in 1839, is still used here in the run-up to Christmas with up to 28 candles, depending on the year.

Instructions for a DIY Advent wreath
Making your own Advent wreath is very easy. You will need:

  • 1 straw ring (diameter inside approx. 15 cm)
  • pruning shears
  • fir branches
  • green floral wire
  • 4 candles with suitable holders
  • decorations like bows, pine cones etc.
  • thin gold wire

Cut the fir branches into 10 to 15 cm long pieces with the pruning shears.
Place the wire once around the ring and twist it so that it holds well. Place the first three branches on the straw ring, wrap the wire around the ring at the lower end of the branches and tighten. Place the next branches on top of the already attached branches in a staggered pattern and also tighten with the wire.


It is important that the entire ring (except for the underside) is well covered. The cut side of the branches should always face in the same direction.
Continue working in this way all the way round so that the next layer of twigs covers the wire holding the previously attached twigs.

Finally, push the last twigs under the loose end of the first twigs and hide the wire underneath. Now wrap the wire around twice, cut it and pull it through under the already wrapped wire on the underside of the ring, just like when sewing. Tuck the end into the straw and your Advent wreath is ready!

Now attach the candles and the candle holders on the wreath and decorate as desired with bows, pine cones or other decorative materials.
[image]
Tip: The first Advent wreath in particular might be not quite even. To avoid having to redo it completely, but to give it a compact, even shape, you can wrap it loosely with some thin gold wire before decorating. This works wonders!

Tourismusverein Hafling-Vöran-Meran 2000 | 11/30/2023
Did you find this content helpful?
Thank you very much for your feedback!
Thank you!
Let your friends participate ...
Share the whole story or only part of it, let your friends know what inspires you!
Weitere spannende Einträge!
The little Oswald church under the Ifinger mountain
8/3/2023
The little Oswald church under the Ifinger mountain
Between the peaks of Ifinger and Plattinger, at the foot of the Oswaldscharte (gap of S. Oswald), an inconspicuous church with a small tower stands at 1,185 m above sea level on a small flat alpine pasture. The building, which interestingly does not have any hiking trail leading directly past or to it, nevertheless experiences great crowds once a year. Every year on 5 August, the inhabitants of the communities of Hafling and Schenna make a pilgrimage to that small church Meran 2000 to ask Saint Oswald (in Hafling "Oaswold") for protection from storms.
read more
Hidden treasures at the bottom of mount Ifinger
6/6/2024
Hidden treasures at the bottom of mount Ifinger
The modern cable car, which today leads to the skiing and hiking area of Merano 2000, crosses the impressive gorge of the river Naifbach, leaving neither an inkling of the geological treasures hidden within, nor of the natural forces to which this wild gorge was once exposed.
read more
Ski bus stories in Hafling and Meran 2000
12/21/2023
Ski bus stories in Hafling and Meran 2000
Traditionally, from Boxing Day until the end of the ski season, the ski bus has been taking winter sports enthusiasts from Hafling to the Meran 2000 ski area.
read more