The Life Everlasting Flower is a member of the mint family and derives its name from the powerful and lingering scent of curry when the leaves or stems are crushed. It is indigenous to North America, especially around North and South Carolina, and has long been used for countless healing and therapeutic purposes. Known variously by the Latin name Helicrysium stoechas and by the local name of cudweed, Life Everlasting Flowers appear on downy stalks in numerous crowds of white flowers. They carry a supportive and comforting aroma and are known to induce sleep. The Life Everlasting Flowers are commonly recommended in herbal meditation blends for encouraging spirituality and personal growth. The aroma is believed by some to open the right side of the brain, improving creativity and dream activity. The flowers are also valued particularly for their decorative beauty in dried floral arrangements and wreaths that last for years. Dried herbs of the plant make a relaxing tea infusion or bath. The Life Everlasting Flower herb is a perennial root that creeps and propagates easily almost like a troublesome weed. But its medicinal and therapeutic applications are extensive. Some people have chewed the leaves and flowers as a remedy for mouth and throat ulcerations and they are used regularly as a natural astringent. The Life Everlasting herb was even a substitute for smoking tobacco with New England fisherman. Smoking the herb in a different way by inhaling the smoke of the burning herb was at one time considered good for coughs of the lungs and headache. Fresh juice from the Life Everlasting Flower has been said to be an aphrodisiac. The flowers are attributed with a small litany of properties: expectorant, diaphoretic, anodyne, astringent, ectoral, and expectorant, to name a few. The Life Everlasting Flowers are applied for problems with pulmonary. diarrhea, dysentary, coughs, colds, pains in the breast. Powders and warm infusions of the Life Everlasting herb have been used in leucorrhea, diseases of the bowels, and for hemorrhages. The herb is used in poultices for sprains, painful swellings, bruises, boils, bug bites—even tumors and contusions. The Life Everlasting Flower is steeped in American Indian history. Different tribes used decoctions to treat a myriad of neurological and skin disorders. They made tea infusions with the flowers for asthma, bronchitis, and colds. Currently, the Life Everlasting Flower has been increasingly used in blends for skin and bad bruises for how it seems to reabsorb blood into tissue and remove pain and discoloration from nerve damage. The therapeutic and medicinal versatility of the prolific Life Everlasting Flower is as prodigious as its name. Its gentle but powerful healing has lasting effects, from teas and baths to old fashioned wreaths.
Christmas wreaths are a common sight on doors, above fireplaces, in homes during Christmas season. The use of Christmas wreaths dates back hundreds of years before the birth of Christ. A lot of historians think that the very first wreaths came from the Persian Empire, when the royal family and members of the superior class wore headdresses, or cloth headbands laden with precious jewels. Soon, other cultures became captivated with this practice and later on adopted it for themselves.
Around 800 B.C., the Greeks began to distinguish the champions of their Olympic tournament by crowning them with wreaths made from laurel tree branches and leaves. After several years, when the tournament were held from city to city, branches and leaves from local trees were utilized to create these victory wreaths for the champions. At the time of Roman Empire, military leaders and politicians wore crowns of leaves and other greeneries. For example, Julius Caesar wears a crown of a wreath made from fresh laurel branches and leaves. The evolution of the wreath from a headdress to a wall ornament is believed to have transpired when athletes or conquering military leaders arrived home, and they would hang up their headdresses on their walls, as a cup of their success.
Other cultures such as the Egyptian, Chinese, and Hebrew were also famous to have used wreaths made of evergreen branches to symbolize of eternal life, as the conifer trees stayed green all the way through the winter months. After the birth of Jesus Christ, the wreath made from evergreen twigs and leaves came to represent the conquest of life from the long winter months.
The Advent wreath as well grows to be a famous holiday custom after the birth of Christ. This piece of ornament was generally placed flat on a table and was used to count down the four weeks before Christmas. Customarily the wreath was built with four candles in a circle and one candle in the middle of it. The four outside candles were either purple or violet, and the center candle white. Four weeks before Christmas, the first purple or violet candle would be lit. The following week, another candle would be lit, and so on, until the white candle in the center is finally lit on Christmas Eve or day, suggestive of Christ birth. A brief prayer was said every time a candle is lit. The principle behind lighting the last candle in the middle of the wreath is to remind us that we should keep Christ at the center of our lives and the core of the Christmas celebration.
It is also assumed that Europeans hang wreaths on their doors to characterize their family identity, more like a family crest. The wreaths were made from garden produce in their own gardens, like grapevines, flowers, and many others. The constructing of these wreaths was a family custom that go after the similar common pattern every year.
These days, wreaths are still commonly used around the globe. In the U.S., wreaths are a conventional ornament for Christmas, as well as other events all throughout the year. Wreaths now beautify doors for Halloween, Easter, and Valentine’s Day. What’s more, wreaths are no longer restricted to using evergreen twigs and leaves. Nowadays, we can check out craft stores, books, and television shows featuring some of the most unique wreaths made from a selection of remarkable materials.
A Celtic Advent Wreath may be one that uses tradition advent candles or some use dark and light green tapers in place of the purple and pink. The Celtic Advent and the Easter Orthodox Advent or Nativity fast last for 40 days and starts mid November but most Advent wreaths have a maximum of 5 candles.
In the original tradition, advent was a period of 40 days and not just four weeks. The four week period was introduced in the middle ages. The Celtic tradition has been one that has with stood time and still is celebrated to the present day. The Celtic advent does mimic the Lenten period before Holy Week and the Resurrection. What is most interesting by extending the period of time; it does put more structure in the Christmas season and allows the proper focus on the Lord and not on the commercial pitfalls of Christmas. More interesting still is that this period starts before the traditional start of the shopping season of Thanksgiving.
There are also Celtic Advent wreaths for the more modern four-week period of Advent. The Irish themed wreaths are perfect for the traditional Irish catholic family. The wreath itself is comprised of the four traditional candle holders to hold the 4 Advent Candles. In most cases the wreaths, although apply being made of evergreen, in the true Celtic tradition they are made of medals, often pewter.
They are braided in some cases to show a old Irish braid. The twisted rope design makes the base of the advent wreath. Often the Celtic knot is used to decorate the place where the candle sits. A Celtic knot has roots in the third and fourth century. The Celtic knot first showed up in art as an interlaced knot pattern making one mater pattern. Some are spirals or patterns form complex interwoven cords. In the Advent wreath reproduction of these knots forms the base. There were many of these designs found in early Christian Manuscripts. The knot work and the designs though do seem to have roots in Northern Italy. The design was transported to the Celt lands in the early church and has long been associated with the Irish. There are also biblical references to these knots and rope designs that appeared in some of the reprints of the books of the Gospel from 7th century England and these are some of the earliest representations of the Celtic knot.
Often our Celtic Home décor items and sacramental and seasonal items are very popular among the Irish. The Celtic art Form had become a national identify type identity for the Irish, Welch and Scottish. This provides each of our families to reinforce their family heritage as well as their religious heritage. The Irish have a long standing faith in the Catholic Church. Whether our families observe the traditional full 40 days and or the more modern four week period, the Celtic advent wreath provides a lasting tradition for families, regardless of their nationality and binds in their faith.
The shifting of the seasons keeps us rejuvenated year-round because our physical environment and our climate are ever-changing. Summertime brings hot, lazy days where there’s nothing more refreshing than dipping your foot in the water and sipping on a glass of lemonade. Autumn comes along and provides a crisp and cool change in the air that is only made better with the glorious colors of the changing leaves. Winter means that it’s time for the holidays; with family, friends, and, for some of us, snow. Finally, spring gives us that renewed feeling of everything coming back to life again with birds chirping in the trees and flowers blooming everywhere. Now, you can mimic nature’s seasonal cycles with dried flowers and wreaths that warmly compliment your home.
The first step in making a wreath is to find a good supplier. Some local craft stores have weekly specials where you can clip a coupon from the Sunday paper or go onto their company Web site and print out the discount for that week. I get one weekly that offers 50% off any one regularly-priced item. Check your local stores to get specials from each of them. If you have to go to a couple of stores to get the best deals, then you’re ahead of the game because you’ll be spending less on your supplies.
Next, decide on what type of dried flowers you’d like to put in your home. I like to decorate to accompany the seasons, but you can certainly buy any type of flower that suits your fancy at the time! If you’re going to make a holiday wreath, for example, you might want to choose dried flowers that reflect the season’s colors; red and green. Don’t get too caught up in the types of flowers you’re choosing…it’s the colors that count the most. For example, even if roses aren’t a “winter flower”, you can choose dried red mini-roses for your holiday wreaths and they will look phenomenal.
Finally, choose the size you’d like to make. If you’ll be choosing an outside wreath for your front door, you’ll want to get the largest wreath frame possible. A huge wreath on the front door can lend a dramatic and welcoming ambiance to your home. There are several frames to choose from:
If your wreath is going to be for the interior of your home, consider adding a few fragrant dried flowers such as lavender. This dried flower adds a beautiful and relaxing scent to your home as well as a cheerful purple hue to any of the wreaths they adorn.
Christmas wreaths are one of the most important Christmas decorations that we put up during the holiday season. Wreaths have had a long past and they are one of the first decorations until now. However, have you considered its past and why it is important?The significance of Christmas WreathsWreaths were taken to symbolize a person’s divine favor, back in the day. It was taken to mean that the person wearing it was important in the eyes of god. In the wreath, the circle signified eternity since there was no beginning and no end in a circle. Romans looked at the wreath, as a sign that the god Apollo was bestowing a good favor to the wearer. On the other hand, the Druids believed that the circle and the wreath meant that humans had surpassed the normal human timeline. As time kept pressing, all of these beliefs were mixed and integrated. Thus, it gave birth to the kind of belief we have today. Christianity became a major influence all over the world and it influenced the meaning of the wreaths as well. Many people today look at the wreath and believe that it symbolizes the Lord’s undying love. Today, the red holly as well as the scarlet ribbon, usually found in wreaths, came to symbolize the blood that Jesus shed for us. On the other hand, the Christmas wreaths also came to mean the crown of thorns that the Lord wore during crucifixion.You can also check out more info on..Christmas Tree Ornaments
For More Info or to Buy Now: www.hsn.com Bring the outdoors in with the freshness of the Casa di Francesca Set of 2 Wreaths. Delightful in their diminutive shapes and rich color and texture, these classic forms add an elegant accent to… Prices shown on the previously recorded video may not represent the current price. View hsn.com to view the current selling price. HSN Item #500529
Christmas wreaths have a seasonal connection with the pagan feasts of the winter solstice. Winter solstice happens on the shortest day of the year when, in the northern hemisphere, the earth is tilted farthest away from the sun. The sun has its lowest arc in the sky of the year on winter solstice.
Winter solstice ceremonies were performed by many cultures over time. Fear that the sun would never return were the motivation for these ceremonies. Ceremonies and celebrations gave hope. Many of these cultures were pagan sun worshipers. Some of the greatest architectures of ancient cultures were built to align with the solstices and equinoxes – temples, tombs, cairns and sacred observatories.
The earliest Christmas wreaths were made from holly during Roman times. Holly was looked on as having magical powers to the ancient Celts as it was one of the few plants to survive and look beautiful in the winter. The Celts picked holly boughs and put them in their houses to ward off the evils they believed lurked about in the darker months. Roman soldiers are believed to have brought the idea of decorating with holly back from Britain.
Holly was used by the Romans during their winter solstice celebrations and became sacred to Saturn, the sun god the Romans worshipped. The week long winter solstice celebrations of the Romans honored Saturn. Holly wreaths with their bright red berries were given as gifts. Holly was everywhere during these celebrations – on the public buildings, in the streets and shops, inside and outside of homes. The tradition of giving wreaths as gifts started here. Holly was thought to be lucky so the more you had the better off you were.
Early Christians in Rome would decorate their homes with holly to avoid persecution during the winter solstice festivals even though they didn’t worship Saturn. Over time the meaning behind the tradition of holly Christmas wreaths blurred and it eventually became a symbol of Christian faith. It was used to explain the life and death of Christ. The leaves represented the crown of thorns and the red berries represented Jesus’ blood.
The Roman Emperor Constantine gave official status to Christianity and forced all the pagans to be baptized into the Roman church. He needed to join the Christians and pagans and so pagan rituals and idols took on Christian names and pagan holidays like winter solstice festival became Christian holidays. December 25th was the birthday of the Gods to the pagans. Eventually many pagan symbols and traditions were melded into Christian symbols and traditions.
Today Christmas wreaths are a seasonal tradition that most people in the United States follow. You don’t go by many houses without a wreath on the door during the holidays. The meaning of the wreath is not so much about religion as it is about showing seasonal cheer and good will to all.
