Christingle
A Christingle is a symbolic object, used in the Advent services of many Christian denominations.
Christingle means 'Christ Light' and is used to celebrate Jesus Christ as the "Light of the World".[1]
Used primarily for Advent and Christmas, it is also used for Epiphany.[1]
History
The history of the Christingle can be traced back to John de Watteville, who started the tradition in Germany in 1747.[2] At that time it was just a ribbon wrapped around a candle.[2]
The authentic origins of the Christingle can be found on the website of the Moravian Church in the British Province: http://www.moravian.org.uk/index.php/the-moravian-church/moravian-christingle
It was popularized in the United Kingdom by John Pensom in 1968.[2] He was raising funds for the Children's Society charity.[2] In the 2000s over 5,000 Christingle services were being held in the UK every year.[2]
Construction
A Christingle usually consists of:[1][2]
- An orange, representing the world,
- A red ribbon wrapped around it, or a paper frill around the candle, representing the blood of Christ,
- Dried fruits and/or sweets skewered on cocktail sticks pushed into the orange, representing the fruits of the earth and the four seasons.
- A candle pushed into the centre of the orange, then lit, representing Jesus Christ as Light of the World.
- Aluminum foil, representing the star that showed people the way to Bethlehem.
Recent Developments
In 2006 Chelmsford Cathedral in the UK announced they would be replacing the candles with glowsticks.[3]
