Christians.
Roman Catholic AnswerThe Advent wreath orginated in Germany, but has spread throughout the Christian world.from Modern Catholic Dictionary by John A. Hardon, S.J. Doubleday & Co., Inc. Garden City, NY 1980
Advent Wreath. A band or circle of green foliage, surrounding four candles that may be enclosed in glass and are lighted successively in the four weeks of the Advent season. They symbolize the coming celebration of Christmas, when Christ the Light of the World was born in Bethlehem. The wreath originated in Germany, and in some countries there is a special ceremony, with prayers and hymns, associated with the lighting of the candles on the Sundays of Advent.
The candles are purple because Advent is a penitential season, but the third one is rose as the theme of the liturgy that Sunday is of joy.
There are four candles on the outside of the Advent wreath. There is one pink candle and three purple candles.
The U.S. uses it
Four, they represent the four Sundays of Advent.
An advent wreath normally contains four candles, three violet for penance, and one rose candle for joy, that is for the third Sunday of Advent.
The Advent Wreath was originally a Lutheran tradition which marks the four weeks of Advent. Made of evergreen branches layed horizontally, is had four candles representing the weeks. We use the Advent Wreath today but it is refered to as a Christmas wreath.
The Advent wreath is a product of northern European culture, like the Christmas tree, it has been adopted by Christians, but it is not specially a Catholic symbol, nor is there a specially Catholic teaching regarding it, beyond four candles symbolizing the four Sundays of Advent.
Four candles, three purple, one pink.
All candles are sacramentals used in the Church's liturgy. The candles particular to Advent would be the candles on the Advent wreath, and these stand for the four Sundays in Advent, which is focused on penance and preparation for the coming of the Lord, both in His Nativity and in His Second Coming.
The first candle is lit on the first Sunday of Advent. Each succeeding Sunday an additional candle is lit until all four are lit on the forth Sunday of Advent.
They do it among others in Germany and Denmark
Advent is the four Sundays before Christmas. My church has an "advent wreath" with five candles (one for each of the Sundays of advent and one for Christmas eve).
To set up an advent wreath, place a wreath on a flat surface and insert four candles evenly spaced around the wreath. Light one candle each Sunday leading up to Christmas, starting with the first candle on the first Sunday of Advent.