I feel like people are tinkering with it and buying less, right now? I hope I am wrong, because the Advantskrànz has a real symbolic importance before Christmas. It is accepted that the Advent wreath comes to us from Germany, some date it from the 16th century, others from the 19th century. The discoverer or rediscover of this tradition would be the Lutheran pastor Johann Hinrich Wichern of Hamburg.
In Alsace, the Advent wreath appears quite recently, between the two world wars, introduced by Protestant youth movements. There are different interpretations as to the symbolism of this advent wreath. With the round shape, we can think of the world and the four cardinal points. The crown, symbol of royalty and martyrdom, evokes Christ and his crown of thorns. The green of the branches tells us about the expected birth of Jesus, the child in the manger. The circle also symbolizes the eternity given to life through the resurrection, and the sparklers the light that comes and will illuminate the world on Christmas night.
For the candles, which are lit every Advent Sunday, the most common interpretation is that each candle represents one of the stages of the world’s salvation: forgiveness, with Adam and Eve. Faith, with Abraham. Joy, with David. Peace and justice, with the prophets. Another possibility for the 4 candles is that there is peace and the three theological virtues, faith, hope and charity. Traditionally, the four candles are red and massive.
Elsewhere, the fourth candle is always lit on the Sunday before December 25, even if Christmas falls on a Sunday. There, this year, it is Saturday. But in Alsace, very often, the fourth advent candle is only lit on Christmas day. So, you have the choice, either this Sunday or on the night of December 24th to 25th, the choice is yours!