Red advent candles

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aquinasadmirer

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Hello,

I’m teaching at a Catholic mission school in Japan. Last week we had an advent service in school. The candles on the wreath were red. The candles at mass this week were also red. I asked about the red candles, and they said that this tradition was brought to them by the German missionaries who established this school. The school was started almost 50 years ago.

I know that there is a special dispensation for Mexico to use blue. Is there someting special for Japan? Why would the German missionaries have used red candles rather than the violet and rose colored candles?

Just wondering.

Thanks.
 
Were the priest’s vestments red or violet? If they were red (to match the candles) then you may have an issue. Otherwise, I don’t know if there is TOO much of a problem. I could very well be wrong on this though. Are churches even required to have advent wreaths? I like them, and I think they’re great, but I don’t know if there is a mandate for them.
 
I wonder if this is one of those instances where the missionaries needed candles, the only ones available were red (remember, this is post-WWII Japan, supplies were likely scarce), and the missionaries figured better red candles than none. And over the years, the red candles remained, until now- when candles of all colors are likely available- the red candles are used because “that’s how we’ve always done it”.

That’s how a lot of traditions start. 🙂
 
Having lived in Germany many years ago I seem to recall that the advent wreaths all had red candles on them. Could be the German tradition which is what was explained in to the OP.

I also remember the wreaths “hanging” from ribbons (red) from a center pole.

Brenda V.
 
Did a search for “German Advent Wreaths” and came up with a site that had some pretty pictures on it of Advent wreaths. Note how the first one is hanging and has red candles in it.

humanflowerproject.com/index.php/weblog/adventskranz/

There are others pictures with this article that show hanging wreaths, some with white candles.

Brenda V.
 
I’m living in Germany right now, the wreath in your parish also has red candles on it. Funny, I just realized that yesterday, too. I can sask our priest why that is, a lot of the wreaths they make here have either red candles or whatever color seems fashionable that year ( this year a lot of orange ). One thing I never understood, though, is why in the States they have the one pink candle amidst the purple ( I know, it’s the mark of half of Advent being over ) and they don’t even know about this tradition here. Another one, there’s usually a white candle in the middle to symbolize Jesus ( for Christmas day ), nobody’s ever heard of doing that here…mmmmhhhh, I think I have some missionary work to do here…

Have a blessed week everyone
 
The advent candles were red, and the vestments were purple.

I was curious because Advent is a time of penance, hence the violet. I got the colors from here: catholic.org/clife/lcolors.php

I wanted to explain what the purple represents to the kids, but it was a little difficult with the red candles.

I was telling the girls…

*"Violet is the color of penance. It’s sort of a house-cleaning of the heart. You would clean if the emperor came to visit the school. So the violet color is a reminder to do some house cleaning in our hearts to perpare for Christmas.

If you knew that someone would offer you a cup of $100-a-can tea, and your tea cup had Lipton tea in it, what would you do? You’d dump it out and clean your teacup to prepare to receive this precious tea.

This is also what the violet symbolizes. We want to empty ourselves to prepare to be filled at Christmas time."*

This was pretty well received, but I think it’d be easier if the school used the liturgical colors, that’s all.

Thanks for the info.
 
the rose candle on the 3rd Sunday of Advent, and the rose vestments on that Sunday (and on the 4th Sunday of Lent) are taken from the Entrance antiphons for those days which begin Gaudete and Laetare–Latin words for Rejoice, that the events these seasons prepare for are drawing near.
 
I went to a Protestant church for several years that had German ancestory and the candles were red in the advent wreath. So maybe it is a cultural thing.

cheddar
 
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