All about Christmas wreaths
Doors, walls, table decorations — whatever way you decide to display your Christmas wreath, there’s no denying its design has come a long way since the olive-leafed diadems used to crown Olympians.
So vastly different are today’s wreaths, in fact, you may wonder whether such a comparison is even fair. Sure, the laurel crown was green and round, but isn’t that about where the similarity between those pagan coronets and our Christmas circles ends? Not so fast… there’s more between these wreaths than meets the eye.
The word wreath comes from an old English word that means band or ‘that which is wound around’, and the circular shape of wreaths is central to the messages they are said to connote: eternity, continuity, and cyclicality.
In the run-up to Christmas, many homes display an Advent wreath — a circle of evergreen leaves decorated with three lilac candles and a rose candle, and a central white candle. This last candle is lit on Christmas Eve and symbolises the birth of Christ. The choice of evergreens is said to connote the everlasting nature of Christ.
Yet, records show that similar evergreen wreaths were popular in the pre-Christian winter folk traditions, where candles symbolised the hope of the coming spring and the evergreen leaves alluded to the constant changing of the seasons.
Whether the beliefs behind your wreaths are Christian, pagan or pure decoration, it’s interesting to know the rich history of symbols that go into making wreaths.
Our Christmas collection of wreaths ranges from the traditional Pomander with its kiefer base (eternity) and cinnamon scrolls (smell delicious!) that is perfect for adding that ‘real Christmas’ flavour to your home, via the sparkling silver Salim Ice for the glitter princess in your life, to the trendy Black Beauty of dark cones and golden highlights which wouldn’t look out of place in a minimalist’s pied-à-terre.
Now, it’s up to you to find the wreathy meanings that matter to you most…
Wreaths help make the Christmas season. Nice work portraying them above.
Posted by: Mario | 09 December 2007 at 22:38
Thank you for the thoughts on wreath symbolism! They are so much fun to make - a perfect for post-windstorm cleanup. :)
Posted by: JLB | 28 November 2007 at 17:59