Now are lit a thousand Yuletide candles
'Round this darkened Earth
And a thousand, thousand gleaming rays
In Heaven's deep-blue firmament
And tonight, over city and country
Treads Yuletide's joyous tidings
Of the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ,
Our Saviour and our God.
Star of Bethlehem,
O! let your gentle light
Shine with hope and peace
Into every home and dwelling.
The beautiful lines of today's featured Christmas poem, from the Swedish Christmas carol "Nu Tändas Tusen Juleljus"
perfectly expresses the beauty of Christmas and the hope and faith of millions of people around the world as
they light their Christmas candles.
Candles have always represented the light shining in the darkness, illumination, and enlightenment. The soft glow of candlelight
brings a special magic to any occasion and particularly to Christmas.
On December 13th each year, a young woman in white, wearing a crown of blazing candles brings a tray of coffee and
buns and to waken her family in the darkest hour of the night. She is representing Saint Lucia, who symbolizes light and growth
for all creatures, great and small as she brings her light into the darkness. as she emerges out of the darkness.
So begins the day of the festival of lights in Sweden.
From the middle ages throught to the Victorian era, candles have adorned Christmas scenes and trees,
symbolizing the Star of Bethlehem and the light of all life, Jesus Christ.
The Advent wreath is graced with candles and is rich with symbolism and ritual. The advent wreath is always formed into a circle,
a circle with no beginning and no end, the symbol of the infinite and the symbol of God.
The wreath is made from evergreens, symbolic of eternal life and the immortality of the soul, and of Jesus Christ who lives,
never to die again.
But the richest symbolism of the advent wreath is in the candles which are lighted one by one, each week of the Advent season until
all four are burning continuously. On Christmas day the fifth, and final candle, which is pure white, is lit.
As each additional candle is lit, the wreath serves to remind that the birth of the Jesus Christ, the Light of the World
is coming closer. The white candle on Christmas Day is lit in remembrance and in honor of the birth of the Christ Child.
In the Christian tradition, three of the advent wreath candles are purple, which symbolizes hope, peace, and love.
The fourth candle is pink, which represents joy. The final candle, is the Christ candle, which is white.
The purple candles are lit on the first, second, and fourth Sundays of Advent. The pink candle is lit on the third Sunday and the
white candle on Christmas day.
In many homes throughout the world, a lighted candle is placed in a front window on Christmas Eve,
a symbol of welcome to Mary and Joseph, who could not find their way to shelter.
Embraced by people of every faith, belief and locale, the solitary flame of a candle touches our hearts,
for almost all of us have seen candles used to bring their special symbolism and light to our ceremonies and
special occasions, perhaps a candlelight vigil, to come together in prayer or as we share our Christmas festivities.
