Advent candles | Four colours | 2 cm x 20 cm

Advent candles in the four liturgical colours for sale

• Pack of four candles for Advent wreath.
• Wax candles in the four liturgical colours: purple, white, green, and red.
• 2 cm in diameter.
• 20 cm in length.
• Progressive lighting for each Sunday of Advent.
• Suitable for parish celebrations and domestic use.
• Also available in our shop: Advent candles in the four liturgical colours in other sizes.

What colours are the Advent candles?

Advent candles are traditionally presented in four liturgical colours: purple, white, green, red. n. 98 of the Directory on Popular Piety and the Liturgy indicates that each colour represents an important value for preparing for Christmas: penance, joy, hope, and charity.

The purple candle points to penance and the introspection proper to Advent. Green evokes the constant hope in the coming of the Saviour. The red candle recalls the charity enkindled as the Incarnation draws near, whilst white suggests the purity and light that culminate in the solemnity of Christmas.

The progressive lighting of each of the candles of the Advent wreath constitutes an itinerary of preparation for the coming of Jesus at Christmas. This practice, widespread in homes and parishes, allows us to live Advent as a time of active and hope-filled waiting.

Order of the Advent candles: which candle is lit each Sunday

The pack consists of four candles in purple, white, green, and red. Each candle is lit progressively on each Sunday leading up to Christmas.

It is customary to light the candles in this order:

The purple candle on the First Sunday of Advent. Purple is the liturgical colour associated with the season of Advent. Lighting the purple candle marks the beginning of Advent and the start of the countdown that culminates on Christmas Day.

The green or red candles on the intermediate Sundays, as accents of hope and charity.

The white candle is usually the last candle to be lit in the Advent wreath. In the liturgical context, white symbolises the presence of Jesus. When the white candle is lit, the great news is proclaimed: the Birth of Jesus.