Article written by Abigail Francis.
In ancient Greco-Roman society, wreath decorations named ‘coronas’ were hung in doorways as a symbol of victory. Later on, wreaths became a hallmark of Christmas decorations, a symbol of the holidays religious history with its circular shape representing the never-ending joy of the season.
With the season approaching, Blue Box Belper’s craft group celebrated the circular tradition with a wreath making workshop at the Early Years Centre. Eleanor Brookes from The Future is Flowery (@thefutureis_flowery on Instagram) led the workshop, teaching how to make and decorate a wreath decoration from scratch.
Making a wreath from scratch takes a variety of natural materials. The ancient Greco-Romans used fresh leaves, fruit, and flowers to decorate their wreaths whilst more ‘traditional’ wreaths used candles. The craft group took a leaf out of the Greco-Roman book, with Eleanor bringing most of the materials with her, though herself and a few others braved the pouring rain to forage in the woodlands behind the centre for fresh cuttings of holly, leaves, and other bits of greenery!
To make their wreaths, the craft group began with circular wire frames that they tied moss to. This was the messiest part, Eleanor warned. Moss is a popular home to critters and creatures, some of whom made a surprise appearance at the workshop. But what’s a worm or two compared to the frog Eleanor told the group she’d found in the moss once? That would probably take your b-wreath by surprise!
After the moss had been fastened to the wire, the group moved on to adding foliage until their wreaths began to take on their traditional full green appearance. The wreaths were then decorated with bows, pine cones, cinnamon sticks, and dried fruit to add the final seasonal touches. Whilst the group were busying wreath-making, hot drinks and biscuits were available alongside Christmas music to keep the festive spirit up. Once the wreaths were completed, the craft group took them home to hang on their doors in time for Christmas.
The workshop was part-funded by Fleet Arts, a Belper based community arts charity who help Blue Box Belper keep their craft group accessible to all.
