Something for the Holidays

Festival of Wreaths at the Susquehanna Museum

Waltz into the holiday spirit by dancing through the “Festival of Wreaths” at the Susquehanna Art Museum in Harrisburg where local talents and artists donated their works to be showcased and auctioned during the holiday season.  The silent auction opened last week and invites you to join the festivities by visiting, voting and bidding on the wreath of your choice. Your donation will not only benefit the Museum but may also bring home a holiday gift or a wreath that will set the colors of your celebration.

Different cultures use wreaths for different reasons; but where does the American custom of decorating with wreaths for holidays come from? The history of wreaths reaches back to the Greco-Roman times where live-plant wreaths were placed on the head of prestigious people to show rank, status and achievement. Later the Greeks, taking a myth of Apollo and Daphne in which Daphne turned into a laurel tree winning her battle with Apollo, awarded their athletes with laurel wreaths to show their accomplishments on the Olympics. Julius Caesar wore gilded leaves woven into a circular form as the symbol of the supreme ruler.  This headdress later became the crown.

In the 16^th century the Lutherans in Germany used wheels, evergreens and candles to teach the children about the coming of Christ. The round form of the wheel symbolized God, the evergreens the everlasting life and the candles the light that would arrive with the birth of Jesus.  They lit one candle each Sunday of Advent, the four Sundays before Christmas.  This practice later became the part of the Christian Church and is still a very popular disposition of faith and part of the Christmas decoration in Europe.

However, garlands are not only for Christians or those who celebrate Christmas. The pieces in the Susquehanna Art Museum belie the traditional notion of wreaths and let the artistic spirit soar free. In the “Festival of Wreath” a wreath does not have to be round, or made of evergreens; it can be square made of mosaic tiles or can be on canvas or can even be a long strip of knives and axes made of colorful fabrics. There are plenty of traditional wreaths as well, but all have something out of ordinary in their design. In Christmas Cheer the center forms a pine tree made of wine corks ornamented with colorful vintage buttons. Another traditional one has penguins, made of light bulbs, shuffling around. Youthful Christmas is made of paper maché and cardboard with a touch of Pollockian freehand paint splashes of cream, red, green and glittery gold.  There is a wreath for jewelry lovers made of gleaming old jewelries, called Sparkle; there is a wreath for grandpa made of golf clubs and grapevine, titled The Doctor Loved Golf; there is a wreath of silver lushes with blue butterflies with moving wings for grandma, called Blue Ice Wings; and there is also a wreath for the bachelor assembled of cool ties and buttons. There is a wreath made of a shiny burgundy plate with country stars for the country house, a wreath of disheveled curly willow for the nature lover, a wreath of twigs with embellishing felt flowers, titled Heartfelt Holidays, for the lover of botany and for the technical geeks, there is iWreath made of plastic “googly” eyes. Got the pun?

The “Festival of Wreaths” shows that a wreath can be made of anything: paper, fabric, cork, jewelry, wood, plastic, flowers, shells and more. You can look at them, bid on them and follow the bidding by email. The winners’ reception will be held on December 16 at 6pm, and you could be the one who walks away with a favorite wreath to make a very special holiday season.