Dorothy Brush "Random Thoughts" Published Dec. 15, 2004

And there was light!

Turn on the lights! The winter solstice is upon us bringing more darkness than light. In those long ago days of the earliest humans, this phenomenon must have been a fearful time. When they learned the secret of making fires, they could banish the early darkness with huge bonfires. Later generations in pre-Christian times pleaded with the "sun god" to send back the light. It is told that those pleas resulted in the use of advent wreath.

Much later, as Christianity took root, it was the Lutherans who dusted off the custom to use as a prelude to the season before Christmas. A wreath holds four small candles. Three are blue or purple and one is rose but each candle carries a different message of hope, love, joy and peace. The first candle is lit on the Sunday nearest Nov. 30 and marks the beginning of the church year. Another candle is lit each Sunday and on Christmas Eve the large white candle in the center representing Christ is lighted.

Queen Victoria enjoyed the custom of Advent wreaths and hung them in the castle. She brought a jolly touch to their removal on Twelfth Night. They were placed on the floor and the candles were lit for a game of jumping over the candle flame. That is where the rhyme of "Jack be nimble, Jack be quick, Jack jump over the candle stick" began.

Almost two centuries before Christ's birth light became an important part of the Jewish faith. Their Temple in Jerusalem had been seized by pagans in an effort to force the Jews to give up their religious practices. Miraculously the much smaller Jewish force recaptured the Temple. After the victory they cleansed the Temple and had only to relight the Eternal Light which was never extinguished. They found only one vial of consecrated oil which would keep the flame burning for a single day. Instead they experienced another miracle when that tiny bit of oil kept the flame burning for eight days. In that space of time they were able to get a fresh supply of oil. That was the origin of Hanukkah which has been commemorated since then at this time of year. Each night an additional candle on the 8-branched menorah is lit.

As the story of the birth of the Christ child spread across the world, a custom began south of the border of lighting the way for the child to find the way to their homes, churches and communities. Small sacks filled with sand held a candle which was lit as darkness fell. These miniature bonfires were called "little lanterns" or farolitos. Bonfires had been called luminarias and these small sacks are given that name in many places.

Whether farolitos or luminarias today thousands of places chase the darkness with their light. For those who love the look without the work there are electrically lighted luminarias.

To endure this annual time of more darkness than light, my advice is to stock up on candles. The religious organization The Christophers took as their motto an inspiring thought. "Better to light one candle than to curse the darkness." Indeed, we know this too shall pass and the light will return.

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Dorothy Copus Brush is a Fairfield Glade resident and Crossville Chronicle staffwriter whose column is published each Wednesday.