Some use four purple candles. Violet is a liturgical color that is used to signify a time of penance, sacrifice, and prayer. Each week of Advent on Sunday, a particular Advent candle is lit. :) The four candles represent the four weeks of Advent. The first candle, which is purple, symbolizes hope. The four Advent candles represent the four weeks of Advent and should be lit in a specific order. The shaping of them into a circle reinforces that meaning. Learn about the advent wreath's history and meaning including the rich the symbolism of the Advent candles. These symbolize the four weeks of the Advent season, our time of preparation for Christmas. It is typically a circular candle holder that holds five candles. During the first two and the last weeks of Advent we light violet candles.The Third Sunday of Advent is … One way people mark Advent is through an Advent Wreath. The Advent Wreath is very symbolic. Some light the pink candle on the last Sunday before Christmas instead of the third. It consisted of four candles originally; three purple or blue candles to match the liturgical colors and one pink candle lit on the 3 rd Sunday in Advent. However, Advent candles themselves are associated with various Christian religions and for many, have a deep and personal Christian meaning. THE BLESSING OF THE ADVENT WREATH. Three of the candles are purple because the color violet is a liturgical color that signifies a time of prayer, penance, and sacrifice. From the St. Aiden's Monastery blog, here's a nice summary of what each week's Advent candle symbolizes: The Candles symbolize that Jesus is the Light of the World. While the number of weeks and days of Advent preparation varied in the early centuries of the church, St. Gregory VII (d. 1095) set the number of Sundays in Advent to four, with the first Sunday marking the beginning of the liturgical year. Five candles are arranged on the wreath, and one is lit each Sunday as a part of the Advent services. It symbolizes the passages of 4 weeks to Christmas and Advent, in which 4 candles are on, 3 purple and one pink. There are many interpretations of the Advent candles. The four candles represent the four weeks of Advent. The Advent Wreath tradition also involves an Advent wreath blessing. The Advent wreath, or Advent crown, is a Christian tradition that symbolizes the passage of the four weeks of Advent in the liturgical calendar of the Western church.It is traditionally a Lutheran practice, although it has spread to many other Christian denominations.. Catholic tradition states that the four candles, representing the four weeks of Advent, each stand for one thousand years, to total the 4,000 years from the time of Adam and Eve until the birth of the Savior. Added together, the four candles symbolize the 4,000 years that humanity waited for the Savior. A tradition is that each week represents one thousand years, to sum to the 4,000 years from Adam and Eve until the Birth of the Savior. In all traditions, the symbolism is steeped in the Christian faith. The circle is also a sign of everlasting life as well as the eternity of God. Each week is a special devotion to the christmas holiday. the colors of the candles symbolizes repentance (violet) except for one which is purple but it has the same symbol of repentance. Three candles are purple and one is rose. Christians use the Advent candles to celebrate this period with one lit every Sunday of Advent so that during the last week before Christmas all four candles are lit. A tradition is that each week represents one thousand years, to sum to the 4,000 years from Adam and Eve until the Birth of the Savior. Though the modern calendar year begins on January 1, many Christians know that the church year truly begins on the fourth Sunday before Christmas--the first day of Advent. Candles on the Advent Wreath. The wreath is blessed at the beginning of Advent in a special ceremony, so that throughout the whole four weeks you or your family will be drawn into deeper conversion to Christ through its symbolism and meaning. The colors of the candles vary with different traditions, but there are usually three purple or blue candles, corresponding to the sanctuary colors of Advent, and one pink or rose candle. Not all of the candles that are displayed during the holiday season are Advent candles, nor do all the people who do display Advent candles do so for religious reasons.