The wreath has a long history and many religious associations dating as far back as the ancient cultures of the Persian Empire. Christmas wreaths have gone through any number of changes over the centuries, but their importance as a key part of the festive season remains undiminished.
Originally called a "diadem", early wreaths took the form of fabric headbands, sometimes adorned with jewels. Beginning in 776 BC, laurel wreaths crowned victors at Olympic Games. When the Games moved to different cities, each host town would award head garlands made from branches of local trees.
Exactly when the transition from head ornament to wall decoration occurred is unclear, but people probably simply hung the leafy headbands up as souvenirs.
It is thought that in Eastern Europe, people lit wreaths made of evergreen leaves in winter, believing this would bring spring and sunshine early.
By the 16th century, Catholics and Protestants across Germany used Christmas wreaths to commemorate their Advent hope in Christ. Some believe this was inspired by the Swedish Crown of Lights, a candle-bearing crown worn by young Swedish girls on St. Lucia's Day in honour of St. Lucia, a young Christian martyr who gave her dowry to the poor.
From Germany, the popularity of the Advent wreath gripped other parts of the Christian world. Traditionally, this type of Christmas wreath is crafted with four candles in a circle of evergreens, with a fifth in the middle. Usually, three candles are violet and the fourth is rose. Each day at every household, the candles are lit, one candle on the first week, and then another each succeeding week until December 25th. While lighting each candle, usually just before people sit down to dinner, prayers are sung.
The lighting of the middle candle that is the last to be lit takes place on Christmas Eve and signifies the birth of Jesus Christ.
The tradition of hanging this kind of Christmas wreath is now essentially a Catholic Advent ritual.
The evergreen leaves of Christmas wreaths symbolise the permanence of life. The wreath is also circle, signifying that there is no beginning or end and, for many, symbolises God’s eternal nature.
The decoration used for Christmas wreaths used to be nuts, seedpods, and pinecones, also considered symbols of resurrection and the permanence of life.
Though the Christmas wreath has now become more of a decorative wreath, its significance and importance remain undeterred in modern times.
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