Christingle

A Christingle is a symbolic object used in the Advent, Christmas, and Epiphany services of many Christian denominations.[1] Christingle, from a word of German origin, Christkindl, meaning 'Little Christ Child', is used to celebrate Jesus Christ as the "Light of the World".[1]

Christingles prepared for a Moravian service

History

The history of the Christingle can be traced back to Bishop Johannes de Watteville, who started the tradition in Germany in 1747.[2] At that time it was just a red ruff wrapped around a candle.[2]

In the intervening years, the Moravian Church spread the tradition of Christingle through their early role in the Protestant missionary movement. [3]

It was popularized in the United Kingdom by John Pensom in 1968.[2] He was raising funds for the charity The Children's Society.[2][4] In the 2000s over 5,000 Christingle services were being held in the UK every year.[2] In 2018, over 6,000 services were held for The Children's society. Each year Christingle raises over £1.2million to help vulnerable young people.[5]

In 2018, The Children's Society launched its #Christingle50 campaign, which included festive services in schools and churches for the 50th year.[6]

Construction

A Christingle usually consists of:[1][2][4]

  • An orange, representing the world
  • A candle pushed into the centre of the orange, then lit, representing Jesus Christ as Light of the World
  • A red ribbon wrapped around the orange or a paper frill around the candle, representing the blood of Christ
  • Dried fruits and/or sweets skewered on cocktail sticks pushed into the orange, representing the fruits of the earth and the four seasons.

In 2006, Chelmsford Cathedral in the UK announced they would be replacing the candles with glowsticks.[7]

References
  1. "How to make a Christingle". Tees. BBC. 5 December 2007. Retrieved 19 December 2014.
  2. "Christingle: The Christmas tradition that only got going in the 1960s". BBC News. 19 December 2014. Retrieved 19 December 2014.
  3. "Moravian Church - Moravian Customs". Monrovian Church. 10 December 2019. Retrieved 10 December 2019.
  4. "What is Christingle?". The Children's Society. 24 November 2010. Retrieved 20 December 2016.
  5. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/blogs-magazine-monitor-30186196
  6. https://www.itv.com/news/2018-10-25/around-200-000-children-face-neglect-this-christmas-charity-warns/
  7. Sapsted, David (13 December 2006). "Cathedral puts out the flames of Christingle". The Telegraph. Retrieved 19 December 2014.

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