Having just received a Fourth Advent video via messenger, in which The Count of Sesame Street counted the four burning candles, I wondered how much this is common outside of Germany.
Wikipedia tells me that the tradition also is followed in other countries nowadays, but not how much.
So:
Do you know this in your country or maybe even light some candles to count the remaining time until Christmas yourself?
Or have you never heard of it before?
Do you perhaps have any other similar countdown traditions (we e.g. also have Christmas calendars giving you a little tread every day until Christmas)?
Weird. These are really popular with Catholic people in Canada. They are found in Catholic Churches, schools and usually the center of dinner tables during Advent. It’s always an evergreen wreath with 3 purple candles, 1 pink candle and 1 center candle which is unusually white. The wreaths at church get lit at Sunday Mass, one candle for each week of Advent then the center one on Christmas. Generally wreaths at dinner tables are the same but you will light them at Sunday dinner (I can’t remember if they get lit throughout the week as well and you just light the same number of candles as the same week of Advent)
I know people who aren’t religious or no longer are, sometimes still use a wreath without candles as a centerpiece for their dinner table in the winter. It just provides a nice Christmas feel, similar to a door wreath
Sounds pretty similar to the German traditions surrounding it that I know of.
Except of the colours and the center candle, which sounds like a nice extra touch!
In our family we usually wait until Sunday evening in the dark to light it, while singing some Christmas songs.
I am also not very religious, but still love it, same with the advent calendars!