 |
| From Wikipedia - in public domain |
This morning I came across Christingles. They come from Europe, are big in the UK, and
are totally new to me. But if you google them there are lots of
articles and a fairly huge collection of
pictures of them ( go to Christingle images). So, I’ve been missing out. Though they are often used during Advent, I
think they could be introduced just after Christmas when we are maybe more
inclined to think about the meaning of Christmas than we are during the last
days before the Day.
Basically a christingle is a
symbol God’s light for the world present in Jesus Christ. The orange is the world. The skewers of dried fruits (or fruit
gumdrops) are for the four seasons of fruits and the benefits of the world God
created. The candle is for God’s light
shed over all the world. And, a red
ribbon (or red tape for easy application) for the blood Christ shed for
us. That is a lot of symbols for young children,
but it may work.
The
world and its fruits are easy to grasp.
The
light that God brings to the world could simply recall the Bethlehem star
(especially if you use your christingles on Epiphany). Or, it could be the light of God’s love that
Jesus showed us as he grew and taught and healed and made friends among us
(especially if you use your christingles on December 30).
Don’t
let the red ribbon lead you into talk of atonement. Instead make it a reminder that the baby in
the manger grew up, loved and taught, was killed on a cross, and rose again. The point is simply to connect the baby with
man who died and rose on Easter. You
might even look ahead with the children to the events of Holy Week and the
coming Easter celebrations.
As I said, this is new to
me. But, it looked interesting and worth
sharing. Apparently some congregations
prepare them in advance to give out. Others
invite the children to make them during worship. The latter might be possible on December 30
when numbers are usually smaller for most of us. If any of you have used christingles in
worship with children, how about sharing with the rest of us how you use them
and alerting us to problems we may not see at first.
My preacher-husband's response to christingles was "Great, sticky Chrismons!" Do with that what you will.
ReplyDeleteThis video might help: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WKiRLecKWpM
ReplyDeleteWe get the kids to make their own Christingles on Christmas Eve, putting the Christingle on the Christmas Dinner Table the day after. It really works!
Fr. Simon
This video might help the explanation: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WKiRLecKWpM
ReplyDeleteFr. Simon
Thank you for the video link Fr. Simon. It IS a great introduction for us who are new to the Christingle.
ReplyDeleteAnother alternative is that some churches do them for Candlemas. In England they are very often linked with raising money for the Children's Society charity.
ReplyDeleteA couple of comments on potential problems:
1. Do use red tape instead of red ribbon! (This year we ended up with ribbon scotch-taped (sello-taped) onto the oranges, which did NOT work well.)
2. The Children's Society sell glow-sticks as a substitute for those who don't want real candles used with small children.
3. To repeat a point that you made - some use gumdrops and other candies/sweets, but it's just as appropriate to use grapes and raisins.
Lots of ideas for Christingle celebrations here: http://www.going4growth.org.uk/index.php/growth_through_the_year/christmas/christingle_celebrations/
ReplyDeleteThey can take place right up to Candlemas.
Mary