How many candles are on an Advent Wreath?  Four.

Hi, this is Fr. Rocky with another Advent Inspiration.

There are four candles on an Advent Wreath, one for each Sunday in Advent.  Usually, three of the candles are purple and one is rose, and that’s the one for the Third Week of Advent, known as “Gaudete Sunday” – which is the Latin word for “rejoice”. On the Third Sunday of Advent, the priest can wear rose-colored vestments at Mass.

Growing up in my family, we placed the Advent Wreath on the dining room table and would light the candles during dinner each evening.  By the time we reached the fourth week of Advent and all four candles were glowing, we knew Christmas was almost here!

The evergreen leaves that make up the wreath symbolize eternal life by sanctifying grace and the light of the candles represents the light of Christ who brings hope to all who approach Him. On Christmas Day a fifth candle, a large white one, can be placed in the center and burns brightly during the entire Christmas Octave, and that’s why we call it the Christ light.

Thanks for joining us on this journey. If you have missed a previous Advent Inspiration, you can find all of them here.

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