A History of Christmas Candles

Candles as Symbols

Christmas Candles have been used for millenia. They have been a part of the holiday season for over sixteen hundred years.

It is said that Martin Luther, credited with creating the first Christmas tree, used candles to decorate it. Surely, the church has used candles throughout its existance as well, though not necessarily Christmas candles.

The very early Christian church did not celebrate Christmas. Some sects of Christianity still don't. However, in general, it is thought that Christian churches started to celebrate the birth of Christ officially sometime during the fourth century.

There were always a lot of them in churches. Because the buildings were large, open, and filled with people, light has always been of prime importance. Light and flame have also traditionally been symbols of Spirit, and Christ.

At times, especially during the Puritan era, when Christmas was banned by law in several countries, candles were still prominent features in the churches. This was especially so during winter months, when light was at a premium.

No one knows when they began to be used as celebrations of birthdays. However, from the first recorded celebrations of Christ's birth, candles have played a prominent part.

Christ is the "Light of the Earth". It was thought appropriate to symbolize this Light with the flame of a candle. Of course, flame also represented the "Fire of Spirit." These ideas have been inextricably linked.

Candles have also been used at Christmas to symbolize the Star of Wonder, which guided the wise men to Bethlehem after Christ's birth.

Christ did not teach of the harsh and unforgiving God of the Old Testament, but spread the message of love and peace - perfectly symbolized in the soft glow of candlelight. Christmas candles, especially, were tall, to cast this soft glow over a wide audience.

Christ's message of peace, love, tolerance and above all joy, is perfectly symbolized in the flame of a glowing candle!

A World of Christmas Candles

These were also lit on Christmas Eve to show that Mary and Joseph would be welcome in that home.

In some cases, they were used to let the bringer of gifts (St. Nicholas, La Befana, etc) know that there were children in the home.

In other countries, these candles symbolized the special prayers of thanks to Christ that were offered on His birthday.

In Sweden, little girls wear greenery wreaths with lit candles on their heads for the celebration of St. Lucia, the Queen of Light. One of the legends surrounding this tradition tells of Lucia, a maiden in a white robe, with a wreath of candles on her head. These candles lit the way for her to deliver food to starving villagers on a long-ago winter solstice.

The four candles of the Advent wreath have been a popular Christmas candle tradition as well. Three purple candles symbolized prayer, penance and preparation, and the fourth, pink candle, represented rejoicing. At times, a fifth candle was added to symbolize Christ as the light of the world.

Christmas Candles in More Modern Times

During the industrial revolution, they made from petrolium were developed. These were scentless, but they burned longer and cleaner than those using natural materials. They were also cheaper, as they could be produced in larger quantities and in less time than those using beeswax or tallow.

Christmas candles were originally attached to tree branches with melted wax. Later, counter-weighted cups were produced which could be clipped to the branches. Further developments in glass-making allowed manufacturers to produce beautiful small lanterns to attach the small Christmas candles to the tree.

There was always a fire hazard, of course, so it was common to find a bucket of water near the tree. It was also customary to only light the candles on Christmas Eve, and then only for a short time.

Those who did light their candles more frequently, did so only for a few minutes at a time for special occasions within the holiday season.

Christmas candles on the tree began to decline during the early 20th century, as electric Christmas lights became available.

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Christmas Candles Today

With the development of new molding techniques, a wide range of candles is available today that were never thought of previous to 1900. We have candles in every concievable shape, from Christmas trees to angels, from candy canes to pine cones. Figure candles of people and animals from carolers to entire nativities are produced on a large scale.

Decorating of candles has come into its own as well - they can be gilded, carved, colored and even embossed! Christmas candles of dark green trees with silver-frosted boughs, golden stars, and even metallic balls are all quite popular.

Scenting as been taken to an all new level as well. Not only can you have pine, bayberry, or cinnamon scented candles, but there are also such holiday favorites as pumpkin pie and gingerbread!

And, if that isn't enough of a choice, there are candles which are scented in layers, so that one can have two, three or even more different scents wafting through the room as the candle burns down.

Recent research has also let to gorgeous gel candles. These translucent beauties are always in containers. They can be colored in pastels, clear gel, or in jewel tones. Gel candles add an entirely new scope to decorating with Christmas candles!

The very latest development in candles, though, is the use of soy wax. These candles burn without any toxic chemicals. They burn clean, without smoke, and they are truly scentless in their pure state.

This means that they can be used anywhere. It also means that when scented oils are added, a purer smell is attained, not the overly-perfumed scent of most commercial candles.

Electric Christmas Candles

Electric candles are as varied as their wax counterparts. They can be molded as single candles in a metallic base, or as candelabras of three, five or seven candles. Some are molded as menorahs as well. The designs are endless!

The bulbs themselves have also evolved since the beginning of the 20th century. From standard 25 watt, solid light bulbs, we have come a long way.

There are colored bulbs, flickering bulbs, flashing bulbs. Some bulbs are hand-blown to resemble fantastic flame shapes. There are even bulbs now that have paper inside - and the paper blows and glows just like a real candle flame!!

My personal taste runs to the electric on the tree and in the window, and the real wax candles for other Christmas decorating purposes. Somehow, the electric candles, though realistic enough, just aren't the same...