Branch by branch, making an Advent wreath

But before the first candle can be lit, the traditional Advent wreath must first be made – or rather, woven. A brief history and step-by-step instructions.

“Isn’t it called an ‘Adventskranz’?” some of you are probably wondering. That is correct, but only partly. For whilst in Germany and Switzerland the word ‘Adventskranz’ is written with a hyphen, in Austria it is simply ‘Adventkranz’.

Even though the green wreath has become an integral part of the pre-Christmas season these days, its history is not as long as one might assume. Less than 200 years ago, the Protestant pastor Johann Hinrich Wichern came up with the idea of helping to shorten the wait for Christmas for the street children of Hamburg. To do this, he repurposed a cartwheel, attaching four large white candles for the Sundays and six red candles in between for the remaining days. This way, the children not only knew how many days were left until Christmas Eve, but also learnt to count at the same time.

The so-called Wichern Advent wreath, which resembles an Advent calendar, quickly evolved into the Advent wreath we know today, made of fir branches with four candles for each Sunday. Towards the end of the 19th century, the new version began its journey from Hamburg to the German-speaking south; in 1925, the once Protestant wreath was hung in a Catholic church for the first time. From the end of the Second World War onwards, the Advent wreath finally spread widely.

Fortunately, the Advent wreath evolved as early as the 19th century, so we no longer need a cartwheel as a base. An Advent wreath as we know it today is made up of very simple components: a straw wreath, fir branches (or a mixture of other conifer branches), floral wire, florist’s pins, decorations and four candles – all available at DIY stores or florists.

Before you start assembling the Advent wreath, you should sort through the twigs: thick branches may need to be trimmed, whilst long, slender ones make a good base. Small twigs are ideal for filling in any ‘gaps’ in the wreath if necessary.

And then you’re ready to go: the thick end of the first twig is secured to the straw wreath with a florist’s pin, and the rest of the twig is tied to the wreath with floral wire. Before reaching the end of the twig, slide the next twigs under the first layer of greenery and secure their ends well hidden with a florist’s pin. The floral wire, in turn, keeps the rest of the twigs in shape. Branch by branch, the straw wreath is covered with twigs – but please leave the underside uncovered so that the wreath has a flat and stable base.

If you’ve opted for a mix of twigs, make sure the different branches are distributed evenly around the wreath. The floral wire, by the way, can be easily hidden beneath smaller twigs.

If you don’t have much practice in making Advent wreaths yet, the straw wreath may still show through here and there. In this case, small twigs are perfect for filling in such ‘gaps’. You can usually just stick them into the brushwood that’s already in place, and the wreath will immediately look much denser.

Once the green wreath is ready, it’s time to position and secure the candles. Traditionally, the candles are arranged in a square, but there’s no reason why you can’t place them side by side in the Advent wreath. It is important that the candles are securely fixed in place. The simplest way to do this is to use ready-made candle holders, which can be bought in the appropriate size. Alternatively, you can make your own candle holders or thread a thick wire directly through the candle (simply heat the wire with a flame – Caution: please use gloves and pliers to prevent burns).

It is particularly common in the Catholic Church to use three purple and one pink candle – in keeping with the liturgical colours of Advent. However, the colours red (as a symbol of love) and white also have a long tradition. Nowadays, however, there are no limits to the choice of colours: whether green, blue or black – anything is possible.

How you decorate your Advent wreath is entirely a matter of personal taste. People often use simple natural materials such as nuts, pine cones, cinnamon sticks, dried fruit or berries. Depending on the material, you can secure the decorations using florist’s wire, floral pins or ribbons. A hot glue gun can often be helpful too. Otherwise, there’s just one rule when it comes to decoration: use whatever you like. From dried flowers to feathers and bows to little figurines, anything goes.

• Straw wreath
• Fir branches (or a mixture of branches from other conifer species)
• Green floral wire
• Florist's pins / safety pins
• 4 candles
• Candle holders: insertable coasters or thick wire
• Decorations as desired
• Good to have: secateurs, gloves, pliers, possibly a hot glue gun