In order to cheer up the children in the orphanage he was working at, he came up with a large wooden ring with twenty red and four white candles. The candles symbolised and marked the time period from the first day of December until Christmas.

In late 19th century this tradition evolved into a smaller wreath with only four candles and forms an integral part of our tradition. Every candle represents the four weeks of Advent. Each of them symbolises a time period of 1000 years or 4000 years all together. This corresponds to the Biblical time counted from the creation of Adam and Eve to the birth of Jesus Christ. The first candle is lit on the first Sunday of the Advent. This is the candle of hope. The second candle symbolises love and is lit on the second Sunday. The third candle is lit on the third Sunday or halfway into the Advent. This candle symbolises joy because Christmas is fast approaching. The fourth candle is the angel candle that symbolises peace and it’s the last one to be lit before Christmas.

The classic Advent wreath is round-shaped with four regularly placed candles of the same size. Nowadays it’s not uncommon to place four candles in different sizes that become similar in size during these four weeks. Arrangements with linearly placed candles or in an interesting shape are pretty common. When it comes to Advent wreaths, the most popular colours are white, white combined with silver or gold and a combination of red and plaid. The latter combination gives the overall space where it’s located a warmer feeling. The offer of Christmas flowers is very rich indeed. We’ve singled out truly special places where you can choose from ready-made Christmas arrangements or order an Advent wreath to your own liking. In order to decorate your home and get ready for the most festive season of the year, you can find traditional Advent arrangements and door wreaths at our master floral studios. Namely, floral shop “Marijan”, one of the oldest floral shops at Kvaternik Square, floral shop “Tea” located at 4 Remetska cesta and floral shop “Poppy” located at Biškupec breg 7 in Zagreb’s neighbourhood Remete. Their offer includes natural and silk flowers, evergreen plants, all kinds of decorative details and candles which are skilfully added to unique Advent wreaths and door arrangements.

That way a good Advent wreath can truly be a unique winter decoration in your cosy home even after Advent.