Christingle

Christingle is a joyful celebration that brings families and communities together to share the light of Jesus and spread a message of hope.

History of Christingle

Christingle celebrations have been taking place for over 50 years. Our first Christingle service took place at Lincoln Cathedral in 1968, but Christingles themselves go back much further to the Moravian church in Germany.

At a children’s service in Marienborn in 1747, Bishop Johannes de Watteville looked for a simple way to explain the happiness that had come to people through Jesus, and created a symbol — the Christingle — to do this.

During the service, each person takes a Christingle and the candles are all lit to create a warm, magical glow symbolising the light of Christ and bringing hope to people living in darkness.

Christingles are made using oranges and a few other bits, as you choose. You light the candle at the end of a service to spread a magical glow around everyone.

Each element of a Christingle has a special meaning and helps to tell the Christian story:

  • The orange represents the world
  • The red ribbon (or tape) symbolises the love and blood of Christ
  • The sweets and dried fruit represent all of God’s creations
  • The lit candle represents Jesus’s light in the world, bringing hope to people living in darkness.

Hymns

Silent Night
Carols - Favourite Christmas Carols (90 And Rising) / Christingle / Christmas / Christmas Eve / Christmas Joy - Beloved Carols For Church and Singers / Franz Xaver Grüber (1787 - 1863) / Hymn / Irregular / John Freeman Young (1820 - 1885) / Joseph Francis Mohr (1792 - 1848) / Stille Nacht / Traditional German

Silent Night (Stille Nacht, Piano, 3 Verses)

From the album Christmas Joy – Beloved Carols for Church and Singers, also available on CD. Silent Night Recording Tune: Stille Nacht,

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While Shepherds Watched
Carols - Favourite Christmas Carols (90 And Rising) / Christingle / Christmas / Christmas Eve / Christmas Joy - Beloved Carols For Church and Singers / Christopher Tye (c.1505-1573) / CM / Descant / Feast of St Stephen / Hymn / Nahum Tate (1652-1715) / Renaissance / Tate and Brady / Thomas Este's Psalter (1592) / Winchester Old / Year A Advent 4 / Year A Christmas 1 / Year B Advent 4 / Year B Christmas 1 / Year C Christmas Holy Name Of Jesus

While Shepherds Watched (Winchester Old, Organ & Trumpet Descant, 6 Verses)

From the album Christmas Joy – Beloved Carols for Church and Singers, also available on CD. While Shepherds Watched : Recording Tune:

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O Come All Ye Faithful
Carols - Favourite Christmas Carols (90 And Rising) / Adeste fideles / Christingle / Christmas / Christmas Eve / Christmas Joy - Beloved Carols For Church and Singers / Descant / Frederick Oakeley (1802 - 1880) / Hymn / Irregular and Refrain / John Francis Wade (1711 - 1786) / O Come All Ye Faithful / Year C Advent 4

O Come All Ye Faithful (Adeste Fideles, Organ & Trumpet Descant, 4 Verses) Free Download

From the album Christmas Joy – Beloved Carols for Church and Singers, also available on CD. O Come All Ye

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Hark The Herald-Angels Sing
Carols - Favourite Christmas Carols (90 And Rising) / Charles Wesley (1707-1788) / Christingle / Christmas / Christmas Eve / Christmas Joy - Beloved Carols For Church and Singers / DCM / Descant / Felix Mendelssohn (1809 - 1847) / Hymn / Mendelssohn / Video / William Hayman Cummings (1831 - 1915) / Year A Advent 4 / Year A Christmas 1 / Year B Advent 4 / Year B Christmas 1 / Year C Advent 4 / Year C Christmas 1

Hark The Herald Angels Sing (Mendelssohn, Organ & Brass, 3 Verses) Free Download

From the album Christmas Joy – Beloved Carols for Church and Singers, also available on CD. Hark The Herald Angels

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Born In The Night (Mary’s Child)
Carols - Favourite Christmas Carols (90 And Rising) / 76 76 / Christingle / Christmas / Christmas Eve / Christmas Joy - Beloved Carols For Church and Singers / Feast Of The Blessed Virgin Mary / Geoffrey Jackson Ainger (1925-2013) / Hymn / Mary's Child / Richard M S Irwin (b. 1955) / Stainer and Bell Ltd / Year A Advent 2 / Year A Christmas 2 / Year A Holy Name Of Jesus / Year B Holy Name Of Jesus Or Naming And Circumcision Of Jesus / Year C Advent 4 / Year C Christmas Holy Name Of Jesus

Born In The Night (Mary’s Child, Piano Ensemble, 4 Verses) Free Download

From the album Christmas Joy – Beloved Carols for Church and Singers, also available on CD. Born In The Night

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Angels From The Realms Of Glory (Iris, Organ)
Carols - Favourite Christmas Carols (90 And Rising) / 87 87 and Refrain / Candlemas - Presentation of Christ in the Temple / Charles Wood (1866-1926) / Christingle / Christmas / Christmas Joy - Beloved Carols For Church and Singers / Epiphany / Hymn / Iris / James Montgomery (1771-1854) / Traditional Flemish / Traditional French / Video / Year A Advent 4 / Year A Epiphany 4 - Presentation of Christ in the Temple / Year A Palm Sunday - Liturgy of The Palms and Liturgy of The Passion / Year B Epiphany 4 / Year C Christmas 1 / Year C Epiphany 4 - Presentation of Christ in the Temple

Angels From The Realms Of Glory (Iris, Organ, 5 Verses)

From the album Christmas Joy – Beloved Carols for Church and Singers, also available on CD. Angels From The Realms

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