Christingle


A Christingle is a symbolic object used in the Advent, Christmas, and Epiphany services of many Christian denominations. Christingle, from a word of German origin, Christkindl, meaning 'Little Christ Child', is used to celebrate Jesus Christ as the "Light of the World".

History

The history of the Christingle can be traced back to Bishop Johannes de Watteville, who started the tradition in Germany in 1747. At that time it was just a red ruff wrapped around a candle.
In the intervening years, the Moravian Church spread the tradition of Christingle through their early role in the Protestant missionary movement.
It was popularized in the United Kingdom by John Pensom in 1968. He was raising funds for the charity The Children's Society. In the 2000s over 5,000 Christingle services were being held in the UK every year. In 2018, over 6,000 services were held for The Children's society. Each year Christingle raises over £1.2million to help vulnerable young people.
In 2018, The Children's Society launched its #Christingle50 campaign, which included festive services in schools and churches for the 50th year.

Construction

A Christingle usually consists of:
In 2006, Chelmsford Cathedral in the UK announced they would be replacing the candles with glowsticks.