The MARANATHA Advent Wreath COLLECTION

This Collection is built around two themes: the Aramaic phrase Maranatha and the Advent wreath. + Aramaic was the everyday language of the common people in the ancient Middle East. In his public ministry, Jesus spoke in the Galilean dialect of that language. The phrase Maranatha appears only once in the Bible, however, in a Pauline Epistle (1 Corinthians 16:22) where it may have served as a Christian watchword. Simply translated as “Come, Lord,” Maranatha expresses a longing for the Messiah. The phrase is considered "the ideal Christian mantra" for meditation and has been used as a refrain in several popular Catholic Advent hymns. + Like the Christmas tree, the Advent wreath owes its popularity to German Lutherans who originated the tradition in the early-mid 18th century and brought it to America in the 1930s. It has subsequently been adopted by many other Christian denominations. An Advent wreath traditionally consists of evergreens with four (sometimes five) candles—three violet and one pink (and, where present, another one white). The four main candles represent and are lit on the four Sundays of Advent—the pink candle, the third; the three violet ones, the first, second, and fourth. Each candle symbolizes a Christian concept: hope, peace, joy, or love. Alternatively, the violet candles may be blue or all four candles red. The white candle represents Christ Himself and is lit on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day. The colors are all liturgically significant. The Advent wreath has become the main symbol of the pre-Christmas season both publicly in churches and privately in homes.