Advent, Advent ....

This weekend the traditional "Adventzeit" will start. Children will say:

"Advent, Advent, ein Lichtlein brennt, 

erst eins, dann zwei, dann drei, dann vier,

dann steht das Christkind vor der Tür."

(Advent, Advent, a candle burns, 

first one, then two, then three, then four,

and then the Christkind has arrived)

Advent is the time before Christmas when Christian people are in expectant waiting and preparation for the celebration of Christmas. "Adventus" comes from the Latin and means "coming".

It is also the time when traffic jams are starting to build up, often mixed with weather chaos and huge queues in front of the cashiers. And the time, christmas lighting is turned on and mulled wine is drunken excessively.

And time of the "Adentkranz".
This is a green spruce wreath decorated with 4 candles and some christmasy schnick-schnack.
Either you buy a ready made wreath or you buy pine bundles and with lots of patience you manage to get a wreath, pin in the candles and use your creativity to match nice items for decoration. It will take at least an hour to finally have the wreath ready.

The story goes that the evangelic priest Johann Hinrich Wichern had a wooden wreath with 24 candles, 4 big ones for the 4 sundays and 20 "normal" ones.
Each day one more candle was lit so that finally on the 24th there were 24 candles enlighting the church. Each day the light was brighter and prepared everyone for the coming of Christ as the "Light of the World".

Nowadays it's a big business for the flower shops and each year prices increase and quality decreases.
So, if you dont want to spent 50 euro, the better, you make a DIY wreath.

Austrian families will have had lit up the first candle this sunday. And each next sunday the light will become brighter, with the increased number of candles burning. So, wherever you go in Vienna, watch out for the green wreaths.

Unfortunately you will not find it in bluedanube apartment as we decided to put safety over tradition. Tradition also has it that many of the wreaths start small fires .....

Here is my hand-made DIY wreath, done with lots of love, patience and passion.