CHRISTMAS TRADITIONS-CHRISTINGLE

Celebrating Christmas with a candle in orange is now prevalent around churches and schools. How did this Christmas tradition begin, however?

From Mid-November to as late as February, all around Britain, children stick sweets into cocktail sticks, which they now stick into oranges before they now place a candle on it. They gather around this piece they have created. And that is how Christingle is done!

Christingle started way back in Germany with a young man named John de Watteville. And when he thought of getting the children always to have Jesus in their thoughts, he began this tradition in his church in 1747. This time, it was just a candle with a red ribbon that each child collects.

This tradition only became popular in the United Kingdom in 1968 when John Pensom used this as a fundraising event. The fundraising was for the Children’s Society charity. The children would come with different purses containing money, which they will give in exchange for an orange pierced through with a candle.

Even though it has been a source for charity and for which it has blossomed, yet, it has grown more popular and now beyond charity. There is now even a new trend where the candle has now been changed to a glow stick. This is to prevent any harm that might come from the kids going around with lit candles.

Even though many people would describe the tradition as being strange and bizarre, it has gone popular as a fun-filled tradition. This is obvious as several events always accompany the Christingle culture all over the world during its celebration.

Christingle is fun, no matter the form it takes! The christingle is only one among the many Christmas traditions that has popped since the first Christmas. Many Christmas traditions keep popping up each year and it is more fun to keep an open mind about them.

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