Advent wreaths are circular, representing God's infinite love, and are usually made of evergreen leaves, which "represent the hope of eternal life brought by Jesus Christ".[13] Within the Advent wreath are candles that generally represent the four weeks of the Advent season as well as "the light of God coming into the world through the birth of Jesus Christ" although each of the candles can be attributed its own significance as well.[13] The four candles of the Advent wreath specifically symbolize the Christian concepts of hope, peace, joy and love, with these candles being lit subsequently throughout each week of the Advent season.[14][15][16][17] Many Advent wreaths also have a white candle in the centre to symbolize the arrival of Christmastide, which is known as the 'Christ candle'.[18] It is first lit on Christmas Eve, the beginning of Christmastide and may be lit throughout the rest of the Christmas season, as well as during Epiphanytide.[18] The Christ candle is coloured white because this is the traditional festal colour in the Western Church.[19] An additional layer of meaning names the first candle as the Messiah[20] or Prophecy[21] candle (representing the prophets who predicted the coming of Jesus), the second is the Bethlehem candle (representing the journey of Joseph and Mary), the third represents the shepherds and their joy, and the fourth is the Angel's candle, representing peace.[20](..)
