What does it mean?
Der Kranz or der Weihnachtskranz is German for a wreath or Christmas wreath, or the ring of green branches that you may see on the windowsill of German homes around this time of year.
In plural it becomes Kränze or Weihnachtskränze.
What's the tradition?
In English speaking countries, the tradition of having a Christmas wreath is not uncommon, but here they are often seen hung on the front doors or homes or sometimes on a wall inside the home.
In the German tradition it is more common to see wreaths laid down on a flat surface, sometimes on a windowsill so that it can be seen from the outside or else on a centre table.
One reason why the German Kranz must be laid flat is that it also includes candles. Typically a wreath in a German home will have four candles, one for each of the four Advent Sundays, and they are lit in succession as each Sunday passes -- so one is lit at the beginning of the Advent and the next is not lit until the second Sunday and so on.
Families may gather each week to light a new candle, slowly brightening the wreath as Christmas approaches. For children, this ritual can be an early lesson in patience.
Wreaths are traditionally made of evergreen branches, which symbolise hope and life.
Legend has it that the modern Kranz traces its roots to 19th-century northern Germany, where a Protestant pastor introduced a wreath with twenty-four candles to help orphans count the days until Christmas.
The simpler four-candle version spread quickly to households of all denominations.
Modern Advent wreaths can vary widely, but their symbolism remains the same: they make the Advent into a journey from darkness to light.
Use it like this:
Ich liebe es, Weihnachtskränze in den Fenstern der Menschen zu sehen.
I love to see Christmas wreaths in people's windows.
Als ich ein Kind war, liebte ich es, die Kerzen auf dem Kranz anzuzĂĽnden.
When I was a kid, I loved lighting the candles on the wreath.
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