We love advent and one of the ways we celebrate is to have an advent wreath or ring that we light each sunday to help celebrate the lead up to Christmas. The first Sunday of advent for 2014 in November 30th. Me and the boys have spend the last few days making this years advent ring, even though it is more of a plinth! People light one candle on the first Sunday of Advent, two on the second Sunday, three on the third Sunday and all four on the fourth Sunday. Some people then continue to light all four candles during the Christmas period.
Traditionally an advent ring has three purple and one pink candle, but we decided this year to go for something simple.
Materials
- Wood slices
in two sizes
- Cork sheet
- corn flour dough stars
- Wooden candle holders
- butchers twine
- Zinc number plates
- White Acrylic paint
- Taper Candles
To start with we painted the wooden candle stick holder with white acrylic paint. I always make sure that the boys are wearing art smocks ar old clothes as acrylic doers not come out!
The sticks took 2 coats and whilst they were drying the boys used our low melt glue gun to stick glue slices to the cork sheet. Once the larger ones had died they placed smaller ones in the gaps.
Once that had dried then I used a scalpel to out round the cork mat and make it the shape of the wood slices – there is no way I was going to let the boys lose with a craft knife!
The boys then threaded the bakers twine through the numbers, one for each of the weeks and tied the round the candlesticks.
What do the candles mean?
Candle one – Hope and patience
Candle two – Love
Candle three – Joy (this is the one that’s usually pink)
Candle four – Peace
Although we are not catholic – MadDad is from a catholic family, we light the candles as it is part of our tradition.
If you have younger children then you might like our previous advent crown.
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