How to Make Your Own Adventskranz

The Christmas season is upon us and Christmas lights light up the streets of towns and cities in Switzerland during the long and dark nights of early winter. Soon, most kids (and many adults) in Switzerland will start counting the days until Christmas with their Christmas calendars.

The Adventskranz

Another way Swiss people count the days to December 24th and the big celebration is the Adventskranz (advent wreath). An Adventskranz is usually a decorated circular wreath made of fir branches with four large candles fastened on it. As opposed to Christmas calendars that start counting the days until Christmas on December 1st, advent wreaths count the last four weeks before Christmas eve. The first candle is lit on the Sunday four weeks before Christmas eve and then every week an additional candle is lit.

You can buy an Adventskranz at most supermarkets in Switzerland. However, I find it much more exciting to create your very own. My mom used to buy a styrofoam ring to create a wreath with twigs and leaves and then decorated it with colorful ribbons, candles, nuts and other Christmassy deco. I haven't had a chance to try myself at Adventskranz-making and won't be able to this year since I'm traveling but if you want a more contemplative, festive Christmas item in your house I suggest you give it a try!

How to make your own Adventskranz

Shopping list:

Styrofoam or straw ring as a base (available at Migros, Coop and other stores)
Twigs and leaves (can also be gathered in the forest)
Wire and string
4 candles
Ribbons and other decorative items (nuts, cinnamon sticks, stars, etc.)

Instructions:

Tie the twigs and leaves around the straw ring until it is all covered in green
Tie ribbons around the wreath
Add decorative items by tying them to the wrath or sticking them into the base ring with
Carefully stick a piece of wire into the bottom of the candles and stick them into the base ring

Comments

Schätzli, Schnüggel and Müüsli - Terms of Endearment in Swiss German

Kiss - Oliver Haja / pixelio.de If you've ever been invited to the home of a Swiss couple, you are probably familiar with the most popular Swiss German term of endearment "Schätzli" ('little treasure') or one of it's many varieties like e.g. "Schatz" or "Schätzeli" . Obviously, this is not the only pet name used by Swiss couples (or parents for that matter). Like many other languages, Swiss German offers a wide variety of words and phrases that you can use to address your loved one. Swiss German Terms of Endearment What most of these pet names have in common is the ending "-li" which basically turns the thing or person a word refers to into something small or cute. For example "Haus" means house and "Hüüs li " means small house. Plus, this ending "-li" can also be added to first names as a means of endearment, e.g. Benjamin li , Esther li or Fabienne li . I tried to come up with a colle...

How to Say 'I Love You' in Swiss German

To be completely honest, I'm not very fond of hallmark holidays and Valentine's Day is probably the mothership of them all. In my home there will be no cheesy cards or flowers on that day and, personally, I'm happy about it. However, I know that there are many people who like to celebrate Valentine's Day and take it as an opportunity to show their love and appreciation to their loves. Even in Switzerland, there are plenty of people celebrating it nowadays. If you're short on ideas for this years Valentine's Day in Switzerland you might find some inspiration here: Valentine's Day in Switzerland . If you're already set and have the perfect date ready, how about surprising your loved one with a few romantic Swiss German phrases? You should know that the expression "I love you" has only recently made its way into Swiss German from the High German "Ich liebe dich". Swiss people used to simply say "I like you" or "I like ...

How to Spot a Swiss Person

"You're not from here, right?!" These were the words the saleslady of a small clothes store on a busy Tel Aviv street directed at me a few years ago. I was surprised she had spotted my foreignness so easily. After having lived in Israel for a few years and mastered the local Hebrew, I thought I was able to blend in quite well by then. So, I asked her how she knew. She replied with a smile and said: "You nicely folded the clothes you tried on before bringing them back out!" Oh that! Something I assumed was 'normal' but, apparently, the locals didn't do that. My Swiss background gave me away. A Stereotypical (Swiss) Person As an expat I can usually spot fellow expats right away even if at first they seem to fit right in. Be they Swiss people I encounter abroad or foreigners living in Switzerland. Mostly, I catch a word or a phrase in a foreign language or see clothes or other items that are clearly not local. Here in South America it's very easy t...

A Humorous Guide to Switzerland

Search This Blog