The advent wreath is made of fir twigs and four candles are attached. One more Candle is lit for each Advents Sunday. The Advents Sunday are the four Sundays before Christmas. The wreath is also decorated with fir cones small pine cones, little red and white mushrooms and ribbons . The tradition are red candles and ribbons. Any more the wreath is decorated in many colors. In large houses, shops and churches the wreath hangs from the ceiling. In smaller homes the wreath is placed in the middle of the table. When the first Advent come along, my family, would sit around the table, light the first candle. Each Sunday one more till all the 4 candles are lit. One would read out of the bible ,on other one read a poem and we all would sing christmas carols . After that we had coffee or hot chocolate and baked Christmas cake and cookies. One of the poems I still remember : Advent, Advent ein Lichtlein brennt. Erst eins,dann zwei,dann drei, dann vier, dann steht das Christkind for der Tür. Advent, Advent one candle is burning. First one,then two, then three, then four, then the Christ child is standing in front of the door. We still do the same thing here in the USA. But we say an other poem,too. Good tidings we bring of Advent's return. Look, the first candles already burn! Christmas Rejoice! Be of good cheer, for the Lord is near. I was told a story when I was little how the Advents wreath got started. I am not quit sure if that is right, maybe some one else knows the story better. About 150 years ago. In Hamburg Germany a Pastor(Johann Wichern born 1808 ,died 1881),who had an interest in the poor young people . He build a house in Hamburg , I think is was named 'Das Rauhe -Hause'. There they had a place to sleep,to eat and they learned a trade. Every year around the Advents time the pastor held a service every evening. There the kids where told about Advent and Christmas. They also sung many songs. Every day from beginning the first of December one candle was lit till 24 candles where burning. The candles where placed around a wagon wheel that was hanging from the ceiling. Later they started to trim the wagon wheel with fir twigs ,fire cones, and fruit. A lot of people liked this tradition and they would like to have a wagon wheel at home ,too. But there was no place in the homes to hang a wagon wheel with 24 candles. That it when it started on the Advents Sundays (4 sundays ) to light a candle. That is why the 4 candles. Katharina _____________________________________________________________________________________ Get more from the Web. FREE MSN Explorer download : http://explorer.msn.com