Pre-Christmas traditions: the Advent wreath
In Austria and Vienna one of the most common pre-Christmas traditions is the Advent wreath. It symbolizes the passage of the four last weeks before Christmas. It is a usually a evergreen wreath with four candles. Sometimes children make them at school and when they are in church groups and bring their own creations home before the advent season starts. On every Sunday of the Advent one candle is lit before all candles are lit on the fourth Sunday before Christmas.
The most popular colors for candles are red and violet and rose whereas with violet there are always three violet candles on a advent wreath and one rose. The rose candle is then lit on the third Sunday in advent.
There are also big advent wreaths at the Christmas markets in Vienna. Taking a Christmas tour with Get Locally provides you with the perfect opportunity to discover the most beautiful ones. You can learn more about this unique opportunity here.
