Christingle is a fun and joyful celebration that brings families and communities together to share the light of Jesus and spread a message of hope. Christingle celebrations are named after the Christingles that are lit during the ceremony. Christingles are oranges wrapped in red tape, decorated with dried fruit or sweets, with a candle on the top. During the service, each person takes a Christingle, and the candles are all lit to create a warm, magical glow symbolising the light of Christ and bringing hope to people living in darkness. Come and start your preparations for Christmas by celebrating Christingle, and support the work of The Children’s Society!
The Children’s Society provides specialist support around the UK that empowers young people to make positive changes and rediscover their hope. They want a future they can look forward to and we’re here to make sure they get it. Working alongside young people, their families and community, we will not rest until together, step-by-step, we’ve created a society built for all children. www.childrenssociety.org.uk
Christingle celebrations have been taking place for over 50 years. The first Children’s Society Christingle service took place at Lincoln Cathedral in 1968, but Christingles themselves go back much further to the Moravian church in Germany.
At a children’s service in Marienborn in 1747, Bishop Johannes de Watteville looked for a simple way to explain the happiness that had come to people through Jesus and created a symbol — the Christingle — to do this.
Christingles are made using oranges and a few other bits, as you choose. You light the candle at the end of a service to spread a magical glow around everyone.
Each element of a Christingle has a special meaning and helps to tell the Christian story:
- The orange represents the world
- The red ribbon (or tape) symbolises the love and blood of Jesus
- The sweets and dried fruit represent all of God’s creations
- The lit candle represents Jesus’s light in the world, bringing hope to people living in darkness.
image curtesy of https://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/news/14144808.churches-open-christingle-services/