The Christingle service was a new experience for me, as I have never attended one before. The service was a candle lit service that recounted the story of the Christingle and what each part of it stood for.
A Christingle usually consists of:
- An orange, representing the world
- A candle pushed into the centre of the orange, then lit, representing Jesus Christ as Light of the World
- A red ribbon wrapped around the orange or a paper frill around the candle, representing the blood of Christ
- Dried fruits and/or sweets skewered on cocktail sticks pushed into the orange, representing the fruits of the earth and the four seasons.
Toward the end of the service, we all stood up together in a circle nad lit our christingles and as they spread across the room, it filled with light. At the end of that we sang away in a manger. ( They sing this song to a different tune then we do in the United States)