History of Advent Wreath Candles

Practices vary widely in regard to the type of evergreens used and the color of candles contained in the Advent wreath. Often, wreaths are decorated with the traditional Christmas colors of red and green. However, another common practice is to use purple and rose colored candles (a tradition originally unique to Catholics that has since grown in popularity). Generally, three purple candles and one rose candle light the Advent wreath, each being lit on successive Sundays. The rose candle is lit on the third Sunday.
The History of Advent Candles
Purple is believed to represent both royalty and repentance. In ancient times, purple dyes were so rare and costly that they came to be associated with kings. Thus, purple reminds us of the royalty of the coming King Jesus. In regard to repentance, there is an intriguing connection to royalty. For it is the very presence of the Holy King that makes one painfully aware of personal shortcomings and penitent for them.

The pink candle, as well as the purple candles, most likely have roots in association with Lent (the season of fasting and preparation for Easter). For each of the seven solemn weeks of Lent, the church historically lit a candle on Sunday. The third Sunday of Lent was designated as a break in the fast — a time to feast and remember the coming joy of the resurrection:

“In ancient times on this particular Sunday [of Lent] the Pope would honor a citizen with a pink rose, and as time passed the priests wore pink vestments on this day as a reminder of the coming joy. When the season of Advent was instituted, the church viewed it as a mini-Lent, a time for reflection and repentance (thus the purple). In so doing, the church adopted the first four candles of Lent and changed the third candle of Advent to pink in honor of the Lenten tradition.”¹

The third Sunday of Advent is also called Gaudete (Latin for “rejoice”) Sunday. It symbolizes joy in the midst of our preparation, and marks the halfway point toward the coming of light into the world. The pink is likened to a faded purple color as though the light is beginning to shine through it. It is “like the first gleam of dawn, shining ever brighter till the full light of day” (Proverbs 4:18).

On Christmas Day (or Christmas Eve), one tradition replaces the purple and pink candles with white. However, a more common practice is to place a white candle, called “the Christ candle,” in the middle of the wreath (leaving the purple and pink candles in place). The color white symbolizes the light, purity and holiness of Jesus. For “in him there is no darkness” (1 John 1:5) and “in him is no sin” (1 John 3:5).

1 Tenny-Brittian, Bill. “Why Is There One Pink Advent Candle?” Retrieved August 15, 2008 from: http://www.hcna.us/columns/pink_advent_candle.html.

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