Advent Calendar 2020 Day 13: The Meaning of the Advent Candles

As a Christian tradition, the Advent wreath holds four Advent candles. The candles represent Jesus coming as the light in the darkness. One candle is lit each Sunday until all four candles are lit, and sometimes a fifth candle is lit at Christmas. As Christmas draws nearer, each candle brings a little more light into the darkness.

Advent means hope, peace, joy, love. The first candle which is purple symbolises hope. It represents the expectation felt in anticipation of the coming Messiah. The second candle, also purple, represents faith. It is called the “Bethlehem Candle” as a reminder of Mary and Joseph’s journey to Bethlehem. The third candle is pink and symbolises joy. The third Sunday of Advent is Gaudete Sunday and is meant to remind us of the joy that the world experienced at the birth of Jesus, as well as the joy that the faithful have reached the midpoint of Advent. On the fourth week of Advent, we light the final purple candle to mark the final week of prayer and penance as we wait for the birth of our Saviour. The final candle symbolises peace. It reminds us of the message of the angels: “Peace on Earth, goodwill toward men.”

The white candle is placed in the middle of the wreath and lit on Christmas Eve. This candle is called the ‘Christ Candle’ and represents the life of Christ. The colour white is for purity because Christ is our sinless, pure Saviour.  

Can you pair up the opposites?

Key

1. c.
2. f.
3. a.
4. b.
5. d.
6. e.