Christingle facts for kids

Christingles prepared for a Christmas eve service

A Christingle is a special object used in many Christian church services. It's often seen during Advent, Christmas, and Epiphany. The word "Christingle" comes from a German word, Christkindl, which means "Little Christ Child". It helps people remember Jesus Christ as the "Light of the World".

Christingles have been part of Moravian churches in the UK for a long time. Sometimes, if oranges weren't available, people used swedes (also called rutabagas) instead. As Moravians moved to new places, they shared the Christingle tradition. In the 1960s, a man named John Pensom started using Christingles to raise money for The Children's Society. Some Moravians don't like Christingles being used for fundraising. They believe the tradition shows that God's love is a free gift.

The History of Christingle

Where Did Christingles Begin?

The Christingle tradition started in Germany in 1747. A Moravian Bishop named Johannes de Watteville began it. Back then, it was just a red ribbon wrapped around a candle.

How Christingles Spread Around the World

The Moravian Church helped spread the Christingle tradition. They were very active in the early Protestant missionary movement. This helped the custom travel to many different countries.

Christingles in the United Kingdom

In the United Kingdom, Christingles became very popular in 1968. This was thanks to John Pensom. He used Christingle services to raise money for a charity called The Children's Society. In the 2000s, over 5,000 Christingle services happened in the UK each year. By 2018, more than 6,000 services were held for The Children's Society. These events raise over £1.2 million every year to help young people in need.

In 2018, The Children's Society celebrated 50 years of Christingle fundraising. They launched a special campaign called #Christingle50. This included many festive services in schools and churches.

How to Make a Christingle

A Christingle, with marshmallows skewered on the cocktail sticks

A Christingle is usually made from a few simple items. Each part has a special meaning:

• An orange, which stands for the world.
• A candle pushed into the middle of the orange. When lit, it represents Jesus Christ as the "Light of the World".
• A red ribbon wrapped around the orange, or a paper frill around the candle. This represents the blood of Christ.
• Dried fruits or sweets on cocktail sticks pushed into the orange. These stand for the good things the earth gives us and the four seasons.

Sometimes, people add other things to their Christingles:

• Foil wrapped around the candle. This helps stop hot wax from dripping and burning hands.
• Cloves pushed into the orange instead of dried fruits or sweets. This makes it like a modern pomander.
• In 2006, Chelmsford Cathedral in the UK started using glowsticks instead of candles. They did this to make sure children's hair wouldn't accidentally catch fire.