Bring children along to collect their orange, candle and sweets for a lovely Christingle afternoon service at Begelly on Sunday, February 4.

The origins of the word Christingle are unclear. Either it derives from German and means ‘Christ Child’, or from Anglo-Saxon, meaning Christ Light. The Christingle symbolises the Christian message and can be traced back to a Moravian Church in Germany in 1747 and its minister Rev John de Wateville.

First seen in the Church of England in 1968, a Christingle is made from an orange decorated with four cocktail sticks of sweets or dried fruit, tied with a red ribbon and used as a candle holder.

Each element is symbolic of the faith: The orange symbolises the world. The four cocktail sticks are the four corners of the world, or the four seasons, while the sweets and dried fruit represent creation. The red ribbon represents the blood of Jesus, and thus God’s love for the world, and the candle represents Jesus as the Light of the World, shining hope in the darkness.

The timetable of services at St Mary’s Church Begelly (near Kilgetty) is as follows:

Wednesday, January 31, 7pm – Prayer meeting.;

Sunday, February 4, 9.45am – Morning Praise; 3pm – Christingle;

Wednesday, February 7, 7pm – Holy Eucharist.