We made this Christingle. When we took this photo we had forgotten to tie a red ribbon around the middle of the orange!
What is a Christingle?
According to Wikipedia:
"A Christingle is a symbolic object, related to the pomander, used in the advent services of many Christian denominations. It has its origins in the Moravian Church.
At Christmas 1747, Germany, Bishop Johannes de Watteville thought about how he could explain the love of Jesus to everyone, and what Christmas really meant to the children in the church. He decided to make a simple symbol to express the message of Christmas in a fresh and lively way. Pastor Johannes de Watteville gave each child a lighted candle wrapped in a red ribbon, with a prayer that said "Lord Jesus, kindle a flame in these dear children's hearts". This was the first Christingle service.
Many years later, in 1968, John Pensom of The Children's Society introduced Christingle services to the Anglican Church, where the custom spread quickly.
The Christingle consists of:
- an orange representing the world;
- a red ribbon around it representing the blood of Jesus;
- dolly mixtures or dried fruits skewered on cocktail sticks pushed into the orange, representing the fruits of the earth and the four seasons (the representation of the four seasons was a later addition, not of Moravian origin.); and
- a lit candle pushed into the centre of the orange, representing Jesus Christ as the light of the world."
Here's how to make your own Christingle:
You will need:
Orange
Candle
Red ribbon
Pins
Cocktail sticks
Sweet and/or dried fruit
Instructions:
If the orange does not sit flat, cut a small slice off the bottom (with adult supervision, please!) Use an apple corer to make a hole in the middle of the orange and push in the candle.
Wrap a length of red ribbon around the centre of the orange and pin into place.
Thread sweets and dried fruit onto 4 cocktail sticks and push these into the orange.
Christingle Services
You may have a special Christingle service at your Church or school.
