All candles used in church use are conventionally called “church candles.” The traditional recipe for their manufacture is to use beeswax without dyes or impurities. Even visually they differ from those candles that are commercially available - a slight smell, a matte yellow tint. The deacon's candle (oslopnaya), the tallest and thickest, has a conical cut at the top and a dense wick. Used during the Liturgy, incense, and reading the Gospel. Another type of church candle is the chandelier. It is the brightest and is translated as “many candlestick”. There is even a position in the church associated with this attribute - candid burner. This includes the monastery minister who is responsible for lighting the candles.
Varieties
There are liturgical, altar and numbered church candles, as well as wedding candles and candles for home prayer.
The
clergy hold liturgical candles
Altar
are called large candles that are lit in the altar of the temple.
Parishioners place numbered
candles Liturgical candles, as a rule, are quite massive: they should be enough for more than one service. Numbered candles are so called because they have a number depending on their size. This number means the number of candles in a kilogram; accordingly, the larger the number, the smaller the candle.
Wedding
candles
are held in the hands of the bride and groom when the Sacrament of Marriage is performed on them. There are no instructions in the church charter as to what exactly these candles should be (the main thing is that they should be enough for the time of the Sacrament), but, as a rule, wedding candles are made very decorative.
Candles
for home prayer
differ from numbered ones only in that they are packaged in a beautiful box. This is convenient and pleasant, but not regulated by any rules: it is quite possible to light a candle at home, bought behind a box in the temple.
Where to put wax from church candles
The cinders from church candles are handled differently. They are burned along with other waste, or stored behind the images. Most believers return the collected cinders to the shop. In the temple they are either burned in a special oven, or melted and poured into the cheapest candles. Many cathedrals have special boxes for collecting cinders.
You can rarely see such boxes in city churches and cathedrals; the thing is that novices or mothers most often put away the candles themselves in the evenings after the service, regardless of whether they burned out or not.
The collected candles are recycled, because almost all parishes have not only church shops, but also workshops. The novices also clean the glasses on the candlestick from spilled wax; they usually do this with the help of a small spatula and a brush, which they use to brush off the wax. It is not customary to collect it.
Design features
The most common candles are natural
or
bleached
wax.
A natural wax candle can range in color from almost white to quite dark brown. It depends on what method and what wax it is made from. Candle made from unrefined wax
, will be quite dark due to the inclusions of propolis. Its advantage is a fairly strong natural honey aroma and beneficial substances released during combustion. Usually such candles are made by hand. Candles made in a factory will most likely be light in color and virtually odorless, since the wax is pre-cleaned in industrial plants.
red candles in many churches
usually made from paraffin. Some abbots give their blessing to use them until the Ascension, others prefer to quickly return to the traditional version, and for good reason: colored wax leaves stains that are very difficult to wash off from church utensils or floors, not to mention vestments.
Nowadays, the practice of using candles painted in different colors is becoming more and more widespread. As a rule, these colors are associated with liturgical vestments: blue
They are used on the feasts of the Mother of God,
purple ones
- during Lent,
green ones
- on the days of remembrance of the saints.
Black
candles are not used in Orthodox churches.
What wax are church candles made from?
Real church candles are traditionally made entirely from beeswax, although lard, stearin, paraffin, and spermaceti can be used as materials for other candles. Church candles are made without aromatic impurities and dyes. Church candles are easily recognized by their light scent and matte dark yellow color.
As a rule, all church candles are made from natural wax (although there are exceptions when paraffin or stearin is mixed with wax). They have a smooth structure, a pleasant honey smell, and a yellow or yellow-brownish color.
Church candles made of paraffin
Paraffin candles appeared in the mid-19th century. It is made from petroleum, which is why it is sometimes called petroleum wax.
During major church holidays, so-called Jerusalem candles are used.
Paraffin candles quickly gained popularity because they were and remain cheap and accessible. Paraffin smokes and damages interior items, flowers, and dishes.
Jerusalem candles
During major church holidays, the so-called Jerusalem candles are used, which are a bunch of several dozen white paraffin candles with a blue and gold pattern, tied together. The conical shape and laying in a special way make it possible to obtain a large torch with a bright and high fire when burning. Red Easter candles are also holiday candles. During their production, ocher is added to paraffin.
Church candles made of stearin
In its pure form, stearin is rarely used in the manufacture of church candles. Usually it comes in the form of an additive to paraffin or wax to reduce the cost of candle production and make them more accessible to people.
In addition, adding stearin to paraffin makes the candle harder, preventing it from deforming in hot temperatures. At one time, stearin was actively used for making candles, as it was very inexpensive, quite hard, burned well and hardly smoked.
Real church candles are traditionally made entirely from beeswax
So in the 19th century, stearin candles quickly replaced all others.
Polyethylene wax candles
This material is called wax, as it is very close in its properties to beeswax. It is most widespread among artificial waxes. In the manufacture of church candles, it is used because it ignites and burns well, but most importantly it helps the candles keep their shape and be moderately resistant to weak mechanical influences.
However, its excessive use to completely replace beeswax is a deception of gullible citizens, since candles passed off as wax candles are offered at an inflated price by various unscrupulous sellers.
Manufacturing materials
The temple uses both natural beeswax and synthetic paraffin candles, as well as candles made from a mixture of wax and paraffin.
Wax candles are preferable in terms of environmental friendliness, quality, and spiritual and symbolic meaning. In the temple it is better to use natural substances given by God: wax, olive oil (oil), natural incense
.
Wax candles practically do not smoke, which means they do not spoil frescoes and do not pollute the air. Paraffin candles
have a lower cost.
One of the differences between a synthetic candle is the unnaturally strong honey smell: manufacturers often add fragrance to the raw material. To distinguish a wax candle from a paraffin candle, you can try placing it on a smooth surface, pressing lightly. Wax is more pliable and sticky than its artificial counterparts; a candle made from it will stand, but a synthetic one will fall.
Manufacturing technologies
Candles are made both manually, using fairly simple devices, and in a factory way.
Dipped
candles
have a cone shape. They are made by repeatedly manually dipping a wick into melted wax.
Cast
candles
are made by using a mold in which a wick is placed and then melted wax, paraffin, or a mixture is poured in. These candles can be either cone-shaped or cylindrical.
Factory
method,
candles
are made using special machines. One option: a wick spirally wound on two drums is passed several times through a container with molten wax or paraffin. The resulting workpiece is cut into pieces of the required size.
Church wax
All candles used in church use can be called “church candles”. Traditionally, this name refers to wax candles used for religious purposes, made from beeswax without aromatic impurities and dyes.
Church candles are traditionally made entirely from beeswax, although in some cases it is possible to mix stearin paraffin into the material
Church candles are traditionally made entirely from beeswax, although in some cases it is possible to mix paraffin and stearin into the material. These candles are thin and long, and are of a ritual nature. Candles made from natural beeswax have been used since apostolic times.
Wax, as the purest substance, signifies our purity and the sincerity of the offering. Candles made from real wax have always been expensive, but churches traditionally use these. Wax candles are good because when burning they do not emit harmful volatile compounds, do not smoke and burn much longer than others. The smell when they burn is peculiar and pleasant.
These candles are used in church every day throughout the year. They come in different sizes: from small and thin to tall and very voluminous. These are the ones that can be bought at any time in a temple or church shop and placed on a candlestick during the liturgy.
They are cast mainly in monasteries or in enterprising families of believers. It is impossible to call this a large production, but there are many such small “enterprises” in Russia, + the monasteries themselves take care of the needs of the church by having candle workshops in their services.
From the history
Sources of artificial light were an indispensable attribute of worship back in Old Testament times. The Book of Exodus mentions that the Lord commanded that lamps be placed in the Tabernacle: “ And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: ... and bring in a table and place all its things on it, and bring in a lamp and place its lamps on it ” (Ex. 40; 1, 4
). Light is one of the symbols of God, moreover, His property. That is why the bringing in of the lamp during the service was always arranged with special solemnity.
Wax candles were known back in ancient times, but were almost never used in everyday life because they were very expensive. Probably, the first Christians already used them during divine services - although in historical sources we find only the word “lamp”. Lamps could be either wax or oil lamps. For example, the book of Acts mentions that when the Apostle Paul celebrated the Eucharist in the upper room there were many lamps (see: Acts 20; 8).
Initially, the main purpose of a candle was utilitarian. The more candles there are in front of an icon, the better it is visible; accordingly, lighting a candle means “taking care” of the revered image. At first, believers made candles themselves or bought them and brought them to the temple. Then the production and sale of candles became the prerogative of church parishes and dioceses.
How to make church candles from wax
For church candles, the best, “correct” material is beeswax. And from the point of view of traditions, and sacred symbolism, and banal health safety - especially when a person is in a room where there are a lot of candles. Wax candles do not smoke, burn evenly and for a long time, and do not emit harmful compounds.
There are several proven candle production technologies. The simplest of them is to dip waxed wicks with weights into melted wax or a wax mixture for a short time, after which the future candles are taken out and left to cool for a day.
Candles can also be obtained by rolling out. Here a sheet of wax or other warm and plastic substance is taken, and the wick is placed in the center. The leaf is then rolled into a tight tube around the wick. After this, the resulting long candle is cut into shorter ones.
Mechanized equipment is also used. The pressing machine is capable of making candle strip in a few seconds. However, some monasteries still make candles using time-tested technology. After all, handmade candles carry a particle of human warmth.
With the advent of new production technologies, it is possible to make any candles even at home. The variety of materials allows you to create objects of art or simple household items, without extra cash costs or hard work.
Sources:
- https://ortox.ru/catalog/svechi/
- https://xram58.ru/kuda-devat-ogarki-ot-svechej-posle-domashnej-molitvy/
- https://mydiveevo.ru/iz-chego-delayut-tserkovnye-svechi-kakimi-oni-byvayut-i-kak-ih-ispolzovat/
- https://slavvera.ru/cerkovnye-svechi-iz-chego-delayut-i-kak-izgotavlivayut/
What is the difference between wax candles and paraffin candles?
Wax is a natural product of bees. Paraffin is an artificial material obtained from petroleum. Unlike a wax candle, a pure paraffin candle is brittle. The first ones are cut into pieces, the second ones crumble. An undoubted advantage of paraffin is its shelf life. Candles made from it can be stored for a very long time without losing their shape and color. Wax products become covered with a whitish coating during long-term storage.
Another advantage of paraffin candles is their low cost. As a rule, in a church such a candle is 3 times cheaper than a wax candle of the same size. This matters for people on a budget. However, with the same size of candle, a wax candle will burn 2-3 times longer than a paraffin candle. This is due to the characteristics of the material from which they are made. At the same time, one must also take into account that such candles emit more soot, which is not very useful for the icons and the temple itself.
As a conclusion, we can add that for performing church rituals and when reading prayers, there is not much difference what the candle is made of. The main thing is that it is properly consecrated.
Video: Making church candles
