Advent, Advent, ein Lichtlein brennt: Advent wreaths and Advent calendars in Germany

Four Sundays of waiting for Christmas

Around mid-November, round wreaths woven from fir branches start piling up at the entrances of supermarkets and flower shops. Next to the tills, flat cardboard boxes filled with chocolate line up too. In Germany, the four Sundays before Christmas are called Advent (der Advent, the time of waiting). This year 29 November is the first Sunday of Advent (der 1. Advent), followed by 6, 13 and 20 December. During these four weeks, families light candles on a wreath at home, and every morning children open one little door on their calendar.

The Advent wreath: one more candle every Sunday

An Advent wreath (der Adventskranz) is a round wreath made of fir branches with four candles on it. On the first Sunday of Advent you light one candle, on the next Sunday two, and so on, one more each week, until all four are burning on the last Sunday. Children learn a short rhyme to go with it.

Advent, Advent, ein Lichtlein brennt. Erst eins, dann zwei, dann drei, dann vier, dann steht das Christkind vor der Tür. (Advent, Advent, a little light is burning. First one, then two, then three, then four, then the Christ Child is at the door.)

The custom is said to have started in 19th-century Hamburg. The Protestant theologian Johann Hinrich Wichern put candles on a cartwheel in a home where he looked after children, so they could count the days left until Christmas. Today many families put a wreath on the table, whether they're religious or not.

The Advent calendar: 24 little doors

An Advent calendar (der Adventskalender) is a calendar where you open one door a day from 1 to 24 December. The most common kind is a cardboard calendar with a small chocolate behind each door, but these days there are all sorts: calendars filled with tea, cosmetics, Lego or even beer. Many families make their own, too: they hang 24 little bags on a string and put a small present in each one.

In Germany, Advent calendars became widespread in the early 20th century, when printed ones came out. People usually buy their calendar and hang it up by 30 November. Popular calendars can sell out early, so it's less stressful to get yours in good time.

When	What happens?
Mid to late November	Buy a wreath and a calendar (supermarket, flower shop, Christmas market)
29 Nov (1. Advent)	Light the first candle on the wreath
1 Dec	Open the first door of the Advent calendar
6 Dec (2. Advent, St Nicholas' Day)	The second candle + small presents in children's shoes
13 Dec · 20 Dec	The third and fourth candles
24 Dec	The last door of the calendar, Christmas Eve

Be careful with the candles

Dry fir branches burn more easily than you'd think. That's why fire brigades and insurers remind people every year at this time to take care with candles. Please stick to these:

• Always blow out the candles when you leave the room (even for a moment)
• Keep the wreath away from curtains and paper decorations, on a fireproof base
• Put in new candles once they've burnt down close to the branches
• Very dry branches catch fire easily, so check how the wreath is doing around mid-December
• If you have children or pets, LED candles are a good choice too

Today's German words

Word	Meaning
der Advent	Advent (the four weeks before Christmas)
der Adventskranz	Advent wreath
der Adventskalender	Advent calendar
die Kerze	candle
das Türchen	little door (on the calendar)
der Tannenzweig	fir branch

This year, why not wait for Christmas the German way? Eine schöne Adventszeit! 🕯️