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Christmas Wreaths

The floral Christmas Wreath evokes mixed reactions. Some people consider it to be a celebratory symbol of hope, other dislike its negative associations with funerals, etc. Both reactions are valid given the ancient symbolism of Christmas.

History & Symbolism

What we now call Christmas began as an ancient midwinter festival, probably Saturnalia. This celebrated the Winter solstice, the shortest day of the year. With Winter now half over the days would get longer and the life-giving sun would return. The use of holly was thus appropriate, being an evergreen plant that managed not just to survive the depths of winter but to thrive. It represents the triumph of life and nature. The circular nature of the wreath represents the circle of nature, where the seasons follow one another around and the cycle never ends.

More recently the wreath has been used as a Christian symbol, with the holly a clear reference to Christ's crown of thorns. The red berry is seen as a drop of blood. Sometimes an Advent wreath is decorated with four candles. The light of the candles is said to represent Christ ("the Light") whilst the four candles are for the individual weeks of the Advent month. Sometimes there is also a fifth, central candle which is lit on Christmas Eve to represent the birth of Christ. As always, be very careful if using candles.

From a pagan perspective the four candles can be seen to represent either the four seasons or the four traditional elements.

Modern Christmas Wreaths

Today, of course, the wreath is a popular Christmas decoration even amongst those with no knowledge of its meaning or history. Many people hang one on the door simply because of their decorative nature.

You can either buy a ready made wreath at the store or make your own as a craft project. Natural, live wreaths are the most popular however some people prefer to buy an artificial one that can be reused year after year. Many modern wreaths forgo the tradition of using holly and you can buy them made with a variety of leaves, twigs and flowers - even culinary herbs. Balsam fir is a popular material, this being the plant that is frequently used as a Christmas tree.

An interesting recent modern development is the feather wreath. Although some peoples have worn such wreathes in the past, I'm not aware of any symbolism or historic usage connecting them directly with Christmas or Saturnalia.