Meaningful Greens and Rituals

by Ron Krupp

Since ancient times, evergreens have been used for winter decorations and wreaths, a symbol of life when all other plants appear dead. The evergreen is one of the oldest trees on earth, and has long been a sign of hope during the coldest, grayest days of winter. The Romans decorated their homes with evergreen boughs during the winter festival of Saturnalia, and medieval Christians hung trees with red apples in midwinter. Eventually, evergreens were incorporated into German Christmas celebrations and brought to the British Isles in the late 19th century. From there, they spread to the "New World."

Other greens such as mistletoe, holly and ivy were held in special regard because they bore berries in the winter. Some say that the English term, 'holly' may well be derived from 'holy', and that the prickly leaves remind us of the Crown of Thorns, and the red berries remind us of drops of blood on Jesus' brow from the thorns. Those that kiss under the Mistletoe at Christmas are considered safe from harm. And it's interesting to note that Mistletoe is used homeopathically to treat cancer.

Just as the custom of having a Christmas tree only became widespread in Britain in the late nineteenth century, advent wreaths are only now becoming popular here. The four candles rising from the green wreath of boughs or needles symbolize the four weeks of waiting that mark advent. Advent, from the latin 'to come, is the period including the four Sundays before Christmas. It is a time of preparation, anticipation, waiting and hope. There is a looking forward to something that has not yet happened which can be unsettling at times. In nature, there is also a quiet mood. The land lies bare to the sky. The seeds are underground and the heavens are calm and filled with the subtle colors of the rainbow. In many ways, the inner mood of the season reflects the outer mood.

I celebrate advent in my home by gathering with friends and creating an advent garden wreath. I go into the woods to collect moss, evergreen sprigs and pine cones. I create an advent garden by placing the wreath with the four candles on a table and then decorating around the wreath with the evergreens, moss and cones. The first week we celebrate the mineral kingdom. Everyone finds a special stone like a crystal or a rock. The stones are placed in the Advent garden. Each person tells the story behind their stone, places it on the wreath, and the first candle is lit along with food, drink and song. The next week, the plant kingdom is celebrated. Everyone brings a plant or sprig and the ritual of placing the plant on the wreath and lighting of the candle is reenacted. The third week celebrates the animal kingdom. Children and adults bring toy animals such as dogs, elephants, tigers and such to place in the advent garden. The fourth week is the celebration of the birth of the child. Creche figures are added. Now, the Living Wreath is complete and Christmas will soon be here.

There are many winter festivals besides Advent and Christmas. Throughout Europe, in northern Asia and in ancient Egypt, winter festivals of the sun were celebrated by many pagan religions. There were the wonderful fire festivals in Northern and Central Europe and among the Celts in Scandinavia, Scotland and England. They were led by their priests, the Druids. The ancients had the confidence that the "Sun" would be victorious over the "Darkness" just as quickening of seed in the earth is made possible by the victory of the light over the darkness. One can still embrace the soul mood of the season and celebrate the coming of "the light" with the words, Merry Christmas, Happy Chanukah, Holy Ramadan, Joyous Kwanzaa and Spirit-filled Solstice.