By Anna Weaver | Hawaii Catholic Herald

The Advent wreath is rich with history and symbolism.

According to Patricia Kasten, who writes the syndicated “Scripture Search” feature carried by the Hawaii Catholic Herald, the word “advent” comes from the Latin word “advenire,” meaning arrival. Ancient Romans held an “adventus” event to honor their gods’ return to the people.

In an article she wrote titled “Turning cartwheels: Tracing the tradition of the Advent wreath,” Kasten says that the Advent wreath finds its origins in northern Europe before Christ’s birth when “farmers lived in fear of winter.”

“In that harsh, northern climate, December days were short and cold when nothing grew,” she said. “So farmers took the wheels off their useless farm carts, decorated them with branches, ribbons and candles to symbolize the sun and the longed-for growing season and hung the wheels in their houses, hoping to bring about the return of the sun.”

Kasten says that by the 1500s, German Lutherans had adapted the custom of the garlanded wheel to create the Advent wreath, or Adventskrantz in German.

“The wheel image of the Advent wreath reminds us that Advent is a season of looking both forward and backward, remembering the two comings of Christ.”

Kasten cited the other symbolic aspects to the wreath:

Four candles: “There are four on an Advent wreath, representing the Sundays of Advent. They also traditionally represent the 4,000 years before Christ’s coming … At the time the Advent wreath custom was developing, many believed the world had been created in 4004 BC. … Today, we realize that four candles, symbolizing millenniums, are not literal, but remind us of the ages of waiting for the Incarnation.

“On some modern Advent wreaths, there is a fifth candle — a white one called the Christ candle, reminiscent of the Paschal [Easter] candle.”

Purple color: “The purple of Advent traditionally symbolizes penitence, as it does in Lent. However, while Advent is a penitential time, the season’s main focus is of expectancy … Therefore, the purple of Advent — a blue-purple — is not the purple of Lent, which is a red-purple.”

Pink (actually rose) color: “Pink is a rarely used liturgical color, symbolizing rejoicing. The Third Sunday of Advent is Gaudete Sunday, from the Latin word for ‘rejoice.’” The third Advent candle is therefore pink.

The evergreens: “The evergreen has long been a symbol of eternal life.”

The “Sourcebook for Sundays and Seasons 2004” says that holly’s spiky leaves are reminiscent of Jesus’ crown of thorns and the plant’s red berries symbolize his blood.

According to Jayne Mondoy, director of the diocesan Office of Religious Education, each candle also carries its own meaning — the first week’s candle symbolizes hope, the second stands for love, the third represents joy, and the fourth, peace.