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Let there be light
From religious to decorative uses for candles span cultures
By Mindie Miller
Through history, candles have been made from tallow, beeswax, vegetable wax, spermacet or whale oil and paraffin.
Photo illustration by Jamie Roper/KANSAN
ancing, flickering, shining,
melting, relaxing, warming ...
+the capacities of
candlelight are vast.
Centuries before Eadson's light bulb sparked a new era of electric light, Romans used candles to travel after dark and to brighten their homes and places of worship at night. The Dark Ages found illumination in candlelight, and colonial children read books by the light of beeswax candles in early America.
Centuries before Edison's
Although candles are no longer a major light source in most parts of the world, they have remained integral to many religions, and their role in popular culture has evolved, literally taking a new shape.
A group of twisting wax sculptures with wicks stands clustered on a glass counter at Waxman Candles, 609 Massachusetts St. The spiraling columns — rendered in blues, lavenders, oranges, greens and yellows — were handmade by Waxman staff members.
They represent just one of an eclectic sampling of candle styles on the store's sales floor.
Bob Werts, owner and founder of Waxman Candles, opened the store and began selling handcrafted candles in 1970. He said fragrant candles were probably the store's best sellers.
"When you walk into a friend's house where there is a candle burning, the smell immediately hits you," Werts said. "The right fragrance can really relax or irritate you."
"The beauty of candles is that they go away," he said. "You consume them. You can spend $30, and then next year you can do something completely different."
Candles increasingly are being used as ornaments in the home. Werts said candles were attractive options for home decorating because they were ephemeral.
Apart from their decorative appeal, candles commonly are associated with romance, leisure and relaxation.
Candlelight stimulates human emotion and transfixes our eyes. The flame even can symbolize intangible concepts, such as joy, gratitude or prosperity. Candles have long been
used as symbolic devices in religious rituals.
Judy Arnold, Leavenworth senior, said candles played a part in every Jewish holiday because they marked the beginning or end of a sacred time.
A candle-lighting ceremony signals the beginning of Shabbat — the Jewish Sabbath. This holiday of rest and rejuvenation occurs every week, from sundown Friday to sundown Saturday.
Arnold said that the ceremony required at least two candles to be lighted, but that some people added more to represent important of their lives, such as family members.
"It's so magnificent to have a table full of lights," she said. "It ushers in a sacred time."
At the end of the 24-hour Sabbath, when the first three stars appear in the night sky, Havdalah takes place. Arnold said that Havdalah meant 'separation' in Hebrew and that the ceremony marked the transition from sacred to profane time. Arnold said that a candle used in this ceremony had to have more than two wicks, so that it outshined the Sabbath light. During the ceremony, wine, fire and spices are blessed.
Perhaps the most widely known Jewish holiday in the United States is Hanukkah, an eight-day festival of lights that takes place in December. Each evening during the festival, another candle is lighted in a chanukiah, a candle holder with eight branches. Arnold said the candles were lighted in ascending order —from right to left— so the light and joy increased as the holiday proceeded.
"You never extinguish the candles," Arnold said. "You simply let them burn out. You're supposed to enjoy the light."
Celebrating with light
It would be nearly impossible not to enjoy the light that radiates from Hindu households during Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights that will be celebrate November 7th this year. Gargi Advaithi, Madras, India, graduate student said that oil lamps had been the traditional means of supplying light for the festival but that some Hindus had replaced the lamps with candles.
"Candles are something very new and contemporary to the Hindu religion," she said. "They are used mostly in urban areas. People in rural areas still tend to use lamps."
During Diwali, Hindus place lamps or candles all around the outsides of their homes and shoot fireworks. Sandeep Misra, Overland Park senior and president of the Cultural India Club grew up in India. He said that his family placed about 60 or 70 candies outside their house, on the roof and in window ledges. Misra said candlelight was used in the festival as a way to welcome prosperity into a person's life. Advaithi added that the light was like a welcome mat for inviting friends, neighbors and good fortune into the home.
"The point is to keep your house very welcome and to celebrate wealth, both material and spiritual," she said. "It's about
"The
melodic flicker
melodia
flicker
of
the
flame
has
been
used
for
centurie
to meditate," Bob Werts, Waxman Candles
opening up doors to people and to the goddess of wealth."
Advaitihai said that apart from Diwali, candles and lamps were used in Hindu homes on a daily basis. Once a day, Hindus light a lamp or candle and pray to God, she said.
"Lighting the lamp is very important," Advaiti said. "It's a way to start something. It signifies basically anything that's prosperous and radiating warmth and light."
In Wicca, a nature-centered, Pagan religion, candles are appreciated for
Casting spells with candles
their form as much as for their function. Wiccans, who call themselves witches, often incorporate candles into their rituals as physical symbols of mental aspirations. Darcie Callahan, Lawrence graduate student, did her master's work on Wicca.
"Candles might be used in certain spells very much the way someone would use prayer," she said. "You're lighting a candle as you're visualizing what you hope to achieve with the spell. The action reinforces what you're visualizing."
She said colors often played a part in the selection of candles for rituals. In many traditional branches of witchcraft, she said, there were four altars, one in each direction representing earth, air, fire and water. Different colored candles might stand for each altar — green or brown for earth (north), yellow for air (east), red for fire (south) and blue for water (west).
Beyond these traditional practices, though, individual witches often develop creative ways to use candles.
For added effect, some Wiccans use candles to layer symbols, she said. Candles are ideal for layering because they vary in shape, color, scent and design. Thus, someone performing a love spell might choose a pink, heart-shaped candle, then lace it with rose-scented oil and carve a Cupid into the wax. The possibilities are endless.
"Many witches practice eclectic Wicca — a kind of free-form style," Callahan said. "Someone doing a prosperity spell might use a green candle to represent money. A love spell might involve a red or pink candle."
"Part of doing any sort of magical work, whether it be casting a spell or meditating, is trying to set a mood," Callahan said. "Candles and incense can often play a big part in setting a mood. They can help someone focus on their meditation."
People have long used candles to set moods.
"The melodic flicker of the flame has been used for centuries to meditate," Werts said. "People are drawn to the tranquility and simpleness of the flame."