The Advent wreath began in the homes of German-speaking Christians and has become one of the most loved signs of the season in churches and households alike. The Church's Directory on Popular Piety welcomes it: its evergreen circle speaks of eternity and the four candles of the four weeks of waiting, with their growing light marking the approach of the Light of the world. The Book of Blessings provides an order for blessing the wreath in church and another for the home, led by a parent. This guide gives the practical making, the shape of the household blessing, and the week-by-week lighting.

What you need

• A circular base and fresh or artificial evergreen (fir, pine, holly, laurel)
• Four candles: three violet and one rose, in holders set into the wreath
• A Bible, for the short reading from Isaiah at the blessing
• Catholic Household Blessings and Prayers (USCCB) or the Book of Blessings, for the blessing text

When to pray it

Bless the wreath on the First Sunday of Advent or on the Saturday evening before it. Light the candles daily, at the evening meal or family prayer, through 24 December.

Steps

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   Step 1: Gather what you need

   You need a base, a circle of wire, foam or wood with four candle holders; enough evergreen to cover it, real or artificial; and the four candles, three violet and one rose. Florists and parish shops sell candle sets in Advent, and many parishes hold a wreath-making afternoon on the Saturday before the First Sunday. A wreath can be as simple as four candles set in a ring of greenery on a plate, and there is no rule about size, so long as the four candles and the evergreen are there.

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   Step 2: Make the wreath

   Fasten the greenery around the base so that it forms an unbroken circle; the circle without beginning or end is part of the sign. Set the four candles evenly around it, upright and firm, with the rose candle in the position you will light third. Trim the greenery well back from the wicks. Place the finished wreath where the household actually gathers, most often the centre of the table where you eat in the evening, so that it is lit at a moment when everyone is present.

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   Step 3: Bless the wreath at the start of Advent

   On the First Sunday of Advent, or the evening before, gather the household around the unlit wreath. The Book of Blessings gives the order for the home, which a parent leads: all make the Sign of the Cross; one member reads a short passage from Isaiah, such as the promise of the people who walked in darkness seeing a great light; the leader says the prayer of blessing, asking God to bless the wreath and the family that gathers around it as they wait for Christ; and then the first candle is lit. The full text is in the USCCB's Catholic Household Blessings and Prayers. Blessing the wreath is done once; from then on you simply light it.

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   Step 4: Light the candles in order, week by week

   In the first week, light one violet candle. In the second week, light that candle and a second violet one. In the third week, from Gaudete Sunday, light the two violet candles and the rose candle. In the fourth week, light all four. Light them in the same order each evening so that the first candle burns down furthest, and light them from the previous week's candles when you can, letting the light grow. Blow them out when the meal or the prayer is finished.

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   Step 5: Say the weekly prayer

   When the candles are lit, pray together. The simplest form is the Collect of that Sunday's Mass, printed in any missal, followed by the Our Father▾; many families pray The Angelus▾, which tells the Incarnation the season is waiting for, or sing a verse of 'O Come, O Come, Emmanuel' and then read the day's Gospel. Keep it short enough to repeat every evening, and let the children light the candles and lead the prayer as they are able. The wreath's whole purpose is that the family should pray at it.

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   Step 6: Keep the wreath through Christmas

   The wreath's four candles belong to Advent and are lit for the last time on the evening of 24 December. Many households then keep the wreath for the Christmas season, replacing the violet and rose candles with white ones or setting a single white candle in the centre for Christ, and lighting it at the evening meal until the Baptism of the Lord. This is a household custom rather than part of the Church's rite, and a good one: the green circle that measured the waiting now frames the feast.

Tips

• The colours match the vestments of the four Sundays: violet for the first, second and fourth, rose for Gaudete Sunday, the third.
• Keep real evergreen away from the flames and never leave lit candles unattended; a wreath on the dinner table, lit only while the family is there, is the safest custom.
• If a candle burns down early, replace it; there is no rule that says the first candle must be the shortest by Christmas, though it usually is.
• In church the wreath is blessed once, at the first Mass of Advent, and its candles are lit before Mass thereafter without further ceremony.