As the commercial world is already saturated with red and green, it’s easy to lose sight of the true colors of the season–the Advent season. This week the color pink represents joy. It turns out, the Church has a good reason for
As the commercial world is already saturated with red and green, it’s easy to lose sight of the true colors of the season–the Advent season. This week the color pink represents joy. It turns out, the Church has a good reason for putting one pink candle in the Advent wreath.
To discover the story of the pink candle, we first have to look at the origins of the season and the wreath. Until Advent was instituted toward the end of the fifth century, the only season Christians observed was Lent. As preparation for Christmas, the Church established Advent in the spirit of Lent–as a season of reflection and penance.
A wreath of hope
The custom of the Advent wreath originated with pre-Christian Germanic peoples whose evergreen wreaths and fires signified hope in the darkness of December. Christia