Hanging of the Greens celebrated
Jackie Lowell
Submitted By Jackie Lowell
First Congregational Church
A holiday tradition was begun at First Congregational Church in
Wiscasset as the "Hanging of the Greens" ceremony was held on December 2,
celebrating the first Sunday in Advent. The special service featured the
presentation of greens in the shape of a star, heart, cross and circle to
adorn the sanctuary.
As each wreath was brought to the front of the church, a Bible passage
and responsive reading highlighted the meaning of the special greenery.
The star of greens represented the Star of Bethlehem; the heart wreath
symbolized God's love; the cross, the crucifixion and resurrection; and
the circle wreath, eternal love, completing the ceremony.
Hanging of the greens is a tradition rooted in ancient Druid, Celt,
Norse and Roman civilizations that celebrated the winter solstice around
December 21. Because they believed the color green represented eternal
life, plants that remained green throughout the year played an important
role in these celebrations. As pagan cultures converted to Christianity,
they continued many of the traditional winter solstice activities
including the hanging of greens to decorate their homes and churches at
Christmas.
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