I observe the countdown to Advent & the 4 Sundays that lead up to Christmas.
Last year Ms M & I were enjoying the delights of the Winter Christmas markets in Munich, Salzburg & Innsbruck - something we can only dream of this year.
We loved seeing the beautiful Advent Candle Wreaths seen all about that region - it is traditional to mark it with 4 candles. I have some of the beautiful ones on this post from last year ....
My 4 candle stick holder has been dusted down & filled with candles & it is ready to be lit in the 4 weeks up to Christmas. I love these traditional images I used on a previous post.
I decorated the tray under my Advent candle holder with holly & ivy, the traditional Christmas combination.
Today I found some little easy peel oranges in the fridge that were less juicy than I like so I decided to turn them in to pomander / Christingles (meaning Christ light)
When I taught in mainstream education, we used to make Christingles in class then walk our classes to the local church for the Christingle service.
The tradition originated in Germany in 1747 when Bishop Johannes de Watteville used an orange with a candle attached to it to remind children of the light Jesus brought in to the world during Advent.
The orange represents the world
The candle is for Jesus as the light of the world
The red ribbon reminds us of the blood of Christ
The 4 cocktail sticks are for the 4 seasons or 4 corners of the world
The dried fruit represents the gifts from God
The candle in the centre is lit & children carry them in to the church at a special Christingle service. It has only been adopted in England since 1968.
I adapted mine with cloves studded in & the red ribbon pinned to a candle placed between the oranges.
I love making spicy pomanders for the house as they fill the air with a delicate fragrance.
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