We already know why we decorate Christmas trees – but what about putting up Christmas wreaths on our doors? What’s up with that? Listen and you’ll know!

Hi and Welcome to the advent edition of my podcast My Life and Other Funny Stories. In this edition, I bring you a new short Christmas-themed episode every day of December until Christmas. If you want to read the transcript of this episode, click the link in the description!

Today, we will answer the question of why we put up Christmas wreaths. Let’s get into that!

Just a quick definition: a wreath is an arrangement of flowers and leaves in a circular shape and we put four candles on it or we put it up on our doors.

 Before the wreath became connected to Christmas, IT was a prominent symbol of victory and power in ancient Greece and Rome. Outside of competitions, a crowns of leaves or flowers were also the representation of honor and joy.

But Christmas wreaths brought a new meaning to the old idea. Such wreaths originally served as Christmas tree ornaments, and not as the decorations we put on doors and tables, as we know them today. They were formed into a wheel-like shape partly for convenience — because it was simple to hang a circle onto the branches of a tree — but the shape was also significant as a representation of god’s perfection. It symbolized eternity, as the shape has no end.

Equally important was the material — which was the evergreen tree. Evergreen trees- the ones that don’t lose leaves, were very admired since they were one of the few things that would survive through the winter. The branches of the evergreen tree symbolize power and hope.

Together, the circular shape and the evergreen material create the representation of eternal life. It also represents the faith in God, as Christians in Europe often placed a candle on the wreath during Advent to symbolize the light that Jesus brought into the world.

Alright, that is all. Now you know!