Christmas wreaths are a common sight on doors, above fireplaces, in homes during Christmas season. The use of Christmas wreaths dates back hundreds of years before the birth of Christ. A lot of historians think that the very first wreaths came from the Persian Empire, when the royal family and members of the superior class wore headdresses, or cloth headbands laden with precious jewels. Soon, other cultures became captivated with this practice and later on adopted it for themselves.
Around 800 B.C., the Greeks began to distinguish the champions of their Olympic tournament by crowning them with wreaths made from laurel tree branches and leaves. After several years, when the tournament were held from city to city, branches and leaves from local trees were utilized to create these victory wreaths for the champions. At the time of Roman Empire, military leaders and politicians wore crowns of leaves and other greeneries. For example, Julius Caesar wears a crown of a wreath made from fresh laurel branches and leaves. The evolution of the wreath from a headdress to a wall ornament is believed to have transpired when athletes or conquering military leaders arrived home, and they would hang up their headdresses on their walls, as a cup of their success.
Other cultures such as the Egyptian, Chinese, and Hebrew were also famous to have used wreaths made of evergreen branches to symbolize of eternal life, as the conifer trees stayed green all the way through the winter months. After the birth of Jesus Christ, the wreath made from evergreen twigs and leaves came to represent the conquest of life from the long winter months.
The Advent wreath as well grows to be a famous holiday custom after the birth of Christ. This piece of ornament was generally placed flat on a table and was used to count down the four weeks before Christmas. Customarily the wreath was built with four candles in a circle and one candle in the middle of it. The four outside candles were either purple or violet, and the center candle white. Four weeks before Christmas, the first purple or violet candle would be lit. The following week, another candle would be lit, and so on, until the white candle in the center is finally lit on Christmas Eve or day, suggestive of Christ birth. A brief prayer was said every time a candle is lit. The principle behind lighting the last candle in the middle of the wreath is to remind us that we should keep Christ at the center of our lives and the core of the Christmas celebration.
It is also assumed that Europeans hang wreaths on their doors to characterize their family identity, more like a family crest. The wreaths were made from garden produce in their own gardens, like grapevines, flowers, and many others. The constructing of these wreaths was a family custom that go after the similar common pattern every year.
These days, wreaths are still commonly used around the globe. In the U.S., wreaths are a conventional ornament for Christmas, as well as other events all throughout the year. Wreaths now beautify doors for Halloween, Easter, and Valentine’s Day. What’s more, wreaths are no longer restricted to using evergreen twigs and leaves. Nowadays, we can check out craft stores, books, and television shows featuring some of the most unique wreaths made from a selection of remarkable materials.