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How to Make a Paradeisl

Instructions for how to make a traditional Catholic precursor to the Advent wreath from Bavaria. It is constructed with natural materials in the spirit of folk traditions and used to mark time through the dark days of Advent. The apples and tree-like structure remind us of the Fall of Man and the Promise of Redemption. Thus the name "Paradeisl" or "Little Paradise."
Prep Time1 hour
Author: OurRomanRoots
Cost: $20-50

Equipment

  • Floral Wire
  • Garden Shears
  • Manual Pencil Sharpener

Materials

  • Decorative Base Examples include a plate, cake stand, or sturdy cardboard wrapped in decorative paper
  • 6 Dowels I’ve also used sticks from the backyard, chopsticks, and bamboo skewers
  • Evergreen clippings from boxwoods or pines
  • 4 Red apples
  • 4 12-inch taper candlesticks I prefer beeswax in natural, red, or white
  • Ornamentation such as straw ornaments or dried oranges

Instructions

Prepare the Paradeisl Structure

  • Trim the dowels or sticks to fit the size plate or cardboard that you wish to use as a base. I typically have 3 8.5 inch ones for the base and 3 9.5 inch ones for the top.
  • Sharpen the sticks on each end with a manual pencil sharpener.
  • Clip off the pretty pieces of the evergreen clippings and collect in a pile. I like to use the tri-points but I will use other odds and ends to make make clippings go further.
  • Use the floral wire to attach evergreens to the sticks. Begin at one end of each stick and wrap the wire around each clipping one or two at a time until you reach the other end. Be sure to leave a little space on each end of the stick to allow you to insert it into the apple.

Assemble the Paradeisl into a Pyramid

  • Place the 3 shorter sticks (8.5 inches each in my example) in a triangle shape on your decorative plate/base.
  • Place one apple at each corner of the triangle. Gently insert the end of each stick into the apples to form a triangle.
  • Form the top of the pyramid shape with the longer sticks (9.5 inches each in my example). Gently insert one end of each stick into the three corner apples. Insert the remaining ends into the fourth apple at the top of the pyramid.

Add the candles and decorate

  • Attach the candles to the apples. You can buy special floral candle holders that are used to attach tapers to wreaths, but I find toothpicks work just as well. Insert one end of the toothpick into the bottom of the candle and the other end into the top of the apple.
  • Decorate with dried oranges, nuts, gingerbread cookies, or straw ornaments.
  • Consider adding a depiction of the holy family without the infant Jesus (until Christmas, of course) or of Sts. Adam and Eve.