Christingle Service

A Christingle (a word of German origin) means ‘Christ Light’ and is a symbol of the Christian Faith.

The Christingle has its origins in the Moravian Church. At Christmas 1747, in Germany, Bishop Johannes de Watteville wanted a different way to explain the love of Jesus and what Christmas really meant to everyone but particularly to the children in the church. He made a simple symbol to express the message of Christmas in a fresh and lively way and gave each child a lighted candle wrapped in a red ribbon. The orange and sweets were later additions.

A Christingle is made up of:

• An orange representing the world.
• A red ribbon around the orange representing the blood of Jesus.
• Fruits and sweets are skewered on four cocktail sticks pushed into the orange, representing the fruits of the earth and the four seasons.
• A lighted candle is pushed into the centre of the orange representing Christ, the light of the world.

It represents the hope of light in the darkness and symbolises the birth of Jesus, the Light of the world.

The exact date of our annual Christingle service varies so please see the notices in December. It is a family-friendly service open to all.