Symbol Brief — Wreath
Just like I do every holiday season, a couple days ago I put a fresh evergreen and pine-cone wreath on my door. It’s a tradition for me, but I realized it’s a tradition I don’t know anything about.
I’ve read that wreaths were our first crowns and were set upon the heads of those we wished to glorify or esteem. This makes sense when we remember the symbolism of perfection and wholeness associated with the circle. (Maybe that’s why the square holiday wreaths I’ve seen in stores the last several years don’t hit me quite right. They don’t tie in to the wreath’s origins.)
As far back as ancient Greece, wreaths made of certain materials were associated with certain gods: Apollo – laurel, Zeus — olive, Demeter — ears of grain, Poseidon — pine needles and cones.
In Christianity, wreaths stand for a defeat of darkness and sin. Roman emperors attempted to mock Christ by making him wear a crown of thorns rather than their traditional rose wreaths. Of course the thorny crown became the headdress of martyrs. The advent wreath sits on a flat surface and has at least four candles in it, each representing one of the four weeks of Advent, or the weeks leading up to Christmas. Some have a fifth candle to symbolize Christ.
So what about people like me, who hang a wreath on their front door each year? Well, I haven’t been able to find much information on the subject, but according to Arcamax.com, the tradition dates back to ancient Rome. In honor of their New Year, ” . . . Romans wished each other “good health” by exchanging branches of evergreens. They called these gifts strenae after Strenia, the goddess of health. It became the custom to bend these branches into a ring and display them on doorways.”
– Writeye
Posted on December 7th, 2008 under Symbol Brief • Tags: wreath symbolism. • 
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