How fast the time flies, the world is finishing up another trip around the sun and it’s nearly Christmas time again! As the calendar flips open to December, and that special day—the 25th—is circled, everyone begins to feel that delightful tingle that this most festive of holidays always brings with it. The excitement of being reunited with beloved family and friends, the fabulous holiday meals, and, of course, the knowledge that there will be some wonderful gifts to open. And, for many, the Christmas wreath makes its annual appearance, adorning homes and spreading cheer.
Decorating with a Timeless Tradition: Christmas Wreaths
It’s time to put on some music of the season and dig those wonderful old Christmas Decorations out of storage! Many don’t realize it, but one of the most popular of those festive decorations, the wreath, comes with a very long history! The word is derived from the Olde English “writhian“, which means “twist” because traditional wreaths are fashioned by twisting greenery together, then decorating them with berries, bells, toy birds, and other pretty little things.
The First Christmas Wreaths: A Creative Way to Recycle
A Christmas wreath were often made out of the branches trimmed off of Christmas trees to give them a more triangular shape, an early method of recycling and making sure nothing goes to waste! These days wreaths are used around the world as a Christmas decoration, but over the centuries they have been used by many cultures to bring a touch of nature to their surroundings.
Wreaths in Ancient Cultures: Symbols of Honour and Victory
The first historically documented occurrences of wreaths go back to the ancient Mediterranean world where they were used by the Persians, Egyptians, and Greeks, but not as door or wall hangings- they wore them on their heads! A laurel wreath worn as a headdress was seen as a symbol of authority, honour, or victory. Olympic athletes, victorious warriors, priests, brides, and guests of honour were adorned with them to celebrate their accomplishments and station.
The Yule Wreath: A Winter Solstice Tradition in Northern Europe
Meanwhile, farther north, the ancient Germanic and Scandinavian peoples made wreaths to serve as decorations for the winter solstice celebration of Yule. The region’s evergreen trees like pine, fir, and spruce, and bushes like holly, remained green all year round, so the wreaths made from them symbolized the promise of spring’s green returning.
Wreaths in Christian Tradition: Symbolising Eternal Life and Love
In our modern times, a Christmas wreath has become a symbol of Christmas. The European Christians borrowed wreaths from the ancient Yule celebrations, along with Christmas trees and some other Christmas traditions, back in the 16th Century. To them the wreath’s circular shape was a symbol of eternal life and God’s love. Advent wreaths became popular in the 19th Century Christmas traditions, they were four in number and each bore four candles, one for every week of Advent. The candles and wreaths each symbolized a different aspect of the holiday- love, joy, hope, and peace.
Creating Australian Christmas Wreaths with Native Foliage
This holiday season as the wreaths are hung up on front doors and embellishing walls, you can share their rich history with your fellow celebrants. Laurel, evergreen, and holly were used traditionally in Europe, but Down Under we have adapted nicely to using our native foliage, employing eucalyptus, wattle, waratahs, bottlebrush, banksia and others to make our own beautiful Australian Christmas wreaths!
A Christmas wreath is a lovely tradition with a long history of delighting all who see them!
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