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Christingle

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Christingle

A Christingle is a symbolic object used in the Advent services of many Christian denominations.

Contents

Christingle means 'Christ Light' and is used to celebrate Jesus Christ as the "Light of the World".

Used primarily for Advent and Christmas, it is also used for Epiphany.

History

The authentic origins of the Christingle can be found on the website of the Moravian Church in the British Province.

The history of the Christingle can be traced back to Bishop Johannes de Watteville, who started the tradition in Germany in 1747. At that time it was just a red ruff wrapped around a candle.

It was popularized in the United Kingdom by John Pensom in 1968. He was raising funds for the charity The Children's Society. In the 2000s over 5,000 Christingle services were being held in the UK every year.

Construction

A Christingle usually consists of:

  • An orange, representing the world
  • A candle pushed into the centre of the orange, then lit, representing Jesus Christ as Light of the World
  • A red ribbon wrapped around the orange 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

    • In 2006, Chelmsford Cathedral in the UK announced they would be replacing the candles with glowsticks.

    References

    Christingle Wikipedia
    (Text) CC BY-SA