Christingle

It's always lovely to spend time with the family and my niece Anna is growing up fast, and is now at infant school. Her first school Christmas was marked with a Christingle service at the local church. It was a lovely day and a great start to this year's Christmas celebrations.

The Christingle consists of:

• an orange representing the world;
• a red ribbon around it representing the blood o' Jesus;
• dried fruits or sweets skewered on cocktail sticks pushed into the orange, representing the fruits of the earth and the four seasons (the representation of the four seasons was a later addition, not of Moravian origin.); and
• a lit candle pushed into the centre of the orange, representing Jesus Christ as the light of the world.

The base of the candle is commonly wrapped in tinfoil. Many regard this as functional, though others ascribe it with a specific meaning.