History of Christmas Candles

Christmas is a festival that brings festive fervor, joy, hope and happiness. A lot of people get an opportunity to spend quality time with their family and friends during Christmas. Every family has feasts, parties and family reunion during the Christmas festive season. People clean homes and decorate it with twigs, wreaths, lights and garlands. A family enjoys the experience of buying a Christmas tree, bringing it home and decorating it with paper flowers, tinsel and ornaments. Christmas music, cake, pudding, candles are the things one associates with Christmas. Christmas candles are an old tradition of Christmas. The history of Christmas candles can be traced from sixteenth century.

From ages, Christmas candles are used to light the house and Christmas trees. There may be other Christmas light used but the candles play significant role in Christmas lighting. The candles have been used in Christmas from pagan times. In Rome, tall wax papers were offered to Saturn, an angel of God during the festival of Saturnalia. As Christianity was spreading across the world, the candles were lit near the windows on Christmas Eve. Irish people believe the light of this candle helps the Christ child who comes to every home on Christmas Eve. The large candle lit on Christmas Eve stands as a symbol of Jesus, who was born to enlighten the world.

There is a legend that tells how candles were lighted on Christmas Eve. Many years ago, there lived a cobbler and his wife in a small village in Austria. They were poor yet they shared whatever they have with people who were needy and sick. The couple used to light a candle and place it in the window of their home during night. This candle was a symbol of their hospitality. The stranger and passer-by, who needs help, would stop at their home. The couple would give them some food and place to sleep for the night. Famine struck the entire village and all the people were worried.

Every family observed that the cobbler couple had very less sufferings. From that they onwards, every family decided to light a candle during night in all the homes. Next day, they got the news that government has come to help them and everyone was happy. They thanked god and acknowledged how lighting the candle has helped them. The day when they lit the candles in every home was Christmas Eve. So, it is a tradition to lit candles on Christmas Eve.

During the Victorian era, candles were used to be lit on Christmas trees. One cannot think of a Christmas dinner without a scented candle placed on the dining table. Christmas candles are gifted to each other during Christmas. There are traditional Christmas wreaths that have five candles, which are lit during the festival. Today, we find Christmas candles in various shapes, sizes and scents.