Candles are steeped in history

We have recently seen a series of candlelight rallies in many parts of the country, seeking justice for the 23-year-old girl who was raped in a bus in Delhi and succumbed to the brutalities inflicted on her after 13 days. In Bhubaneswar too, many organisations staged candlelight rallies.

All these candle marches and the fervour of Christmas and New Year makes one wonder about candles. 

Candles are one of the earliest inventions of the ancient world. We have candlesticks from Egypt and Greece dating back to 3000 BC. As a source of illumination, candles were the successors of early rush- lights which consisted of pith (tissue in stems and branches of plants) of reeds soaked in household grease (soft melted fat of animals) and the candlefish.

In course of time, an improvement was made by the introduction of flax and cotton thread. These were dipped in animal fat and called ‘tallow candles’.  They were widely used in Europe in the Middle Ages and led to the establishment of guilds of travelling candlemakers who would go from house to house making candles. Until the middle of the 18^th century, tallow and beeswax were the only materials used in the manufacture of candles.

Remember the English poem ‘Night of the Scorpion’? The father put paraffin on the stung area to relieve the mother’s pain. Today, a bulk of the world’s candles is made with paraffin wax. There are now five methods of making candles—dipping, moulding, pouring, drawing and extrusion.

In the West, the church is one of the best customers of candles. Sales of candles rise steeply before any religious holidays like Easter or Christmas. The large candles are generally for church altars. In European countries, some candles are real works of art. Germans and Scandinavians are very partial to candles.

If one is invited to a meal or even coffee and cakes, then one or several colourful candles in decorative stands will be placed on the dining table and lighted to mark the occasion. Ornate candle stands and candles are also presented as gifts.

Not all the candles are lit. Anything costing over Rs.200 or so is kept in the home as an ornament. Scented candles are used to fight insomnia or to just make the room aromatic and induce the sensation of relaxation.