Every Advent Sunday is valuable and deserves its own candle. If the four pieces on the Advent wreath differ in height, there is a reason for that. Whether that's good or not is a question of personal taste. An adjustment of the height is possible.
Why are the candles on the Advent wreath different heights?
Advent wreath candles of different heights are created by burning for different times on different Sundays in Advent. To achieve a uniform height, you can use a fifth candle or use LED candles.
Why are there candles of different heights on the Advent wreath?
If they are of different heights at the end of Advent, there is a plausible explanation: Theywere lit at different times The first candle on four Advents, the second on three Advents, the third on two Advents and the last only once - as is the custom. Accordingly, they burn down differently.
If the candles are of different heights when you buy them, this should solve the problem described above. The longest Advent candle is lit first, then the second longest, etc. The difference in height at the beginning compensates for the difference when it burns.
Can the height problem be solved differently?
First of all: Itis not absolutely necessary to let the four Advent candles burn evenly. The different candle heights are usually viewed as a visual problem. One possibility would be to not stick to any particular order when lighting. Instead, each time you light the candles that have burned out the least. A change in the middle of Advent is also conceivable in order to end up with pillar candles of the same height.
Why is a fifth candle recommended at the end for the same height?
Mathematicians have added up the number of burning Advent candles over all four days of Advent. So 1 + 2 + 3 + 4=10. In order for each candle to burn the same amount, it would have to be lit 2.5 times. A “crooked” number that is simply not feasible. That should be obvious to everyone. This is where the fifth candle comes into play, because as we all know, 10:5=2. Then each candle burns evenly, i.e. on two days of Advent.
How do I light the five candles so that they are always next to each other?
So that neighboring candles burn every Advent, acertain lighting sequence is often recommended:
- Candle 1 on the first Advent
- Candles 2 and 3 on the second Advent
- Candles 1, 4 and 5 on the third Advent
- Candles 2, 3, 4 and 5 on the fourth Advent
If the neighborhood also works for an elongated Advent arrangement, simply change the order for the second and third Advent:
- Candles 4 and 5 on the second Advent
- Candles 1, 2 and 3 on the third Advent
Tip
Height problem solved in a modern way: use LED candles
If you choose an Advent wreath alternative with LED lights (€14.00 on Amazon), then you won't have to deal with the height problem. And if you can't find such a wreath in stores, simply improvise one yourself using LED tea lights, which are available everywhere.
