Am I the only person that had no idea what Christingle was all about?

[Sparklingbrook]

Talking with friends today. They were telling me about oranges and candles and cocktail sticks.
I went to a school that sang hymns in assembly and grace before lunch, and my two DC went to C of E schools and yet I had no idea.
I have seen signs about 'Christingle Service' but hadn't really given it any thought as to what it was.

Please say it's not just me.

I’ve heard of it but I just thought it was a Christmas service, guessing from your post it’s not
I’d like enlightening too please.

Oh thank you time, i feel a bit better, that's what I thought it was too.

I have been googling and it's something like this

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.

I feel like I have missed out.

It was the highlight of our school year!!

Long standing church attender from NI here, I had no idea.

If asked, I wou’d have guessed that it was an American import.

No sweets when I went to school, it was spiky little cloves poked through the ribbon.

I have been a lifelong atheist (atheist family) but took part in Christingle services as part of Girlguiding. I LOVED it. Holding a lit candle in a dark church must have tapped into some kind of primeval instinct. Also - jelly tots. Surprised health and safety hasn't stamped them out.

I didn't get as many jelly tots as your picture though

Is it too late for me? Is it just for children?

I'll go if you will

I remember making a 'pomander' by poking cloves into an orange but think that was something else.

Same as @DonDrapersOldFashioned, we just had cloves 😂 sweets sound much better!

Last year I asked a child as I didn't know either.

"It's when we go to church to stick things in oranges."

Carpet you're on!

I am a bit worried re candle safety.

I have fond memories of this as a child - seems to have died out though, as a tradition?

I have definitely seen advertisements and signs for Christingle Services at local churches around here.

Our local church does a Christingle service every Christmas Eve, it’s lovely.

DH only recently twigged this Christmas event was called 'Christingle'. He thought it was 'Chris Dingle', some bloke who took the service.

Ooo i went to a c of e school some 28 years ago and we had annual christingle!

Do you do the orange decoration before the service or when you get there?

Highlight of the year at my C of E primary school in the 90s.

How they managed to get a few hundred kids with a lit orange lining the perimeter and aisles of the church, I have no idea

Parent volunteers would do the ribbon, candle and decorations beforehand

I'd never seen it (in Scotland) until I worked for the church. It's quite old - from 1740s but was only really popular here since the late 60s.

I used to have to buy the sweets for the kids!

Never heard of this!

Can I use a strawberry instead?