Candles are an invention of mankind, which is already thousands of years old. Once these sources of fire were incredibly expensive and lit only in the homes of wealthy people.
What was before?
Candle lighting created a festive atmosphere, symbolized wealth and prosperity. The scope of the celebration could be estimated by the number of lights lit. Probably, then the phrase “the light of a thousand candles” appeared. When the holiday ended, the candelabra and candlesticks were carefully cleaned. Not a single candle stub was missing. The remains were melted down, new sources of light poured out. And carefully kept until the next magnificent celebration.
Use cases
Over time, the candle has acquired a symbolic meaning. For a writer or poet who creates his great work by the light of a lonely candle, it has become a symbol of inspiration.
Festive, burning on the birthday cake, personify the continuation of the life path. On the festive tree, the lights are lit with the hope of happiness and many bright events in the coming year. The candle stub has become synonymous with poverty.
Application in religious ceremonies
Candles began to be used in almost all known religions, this is a mandatory attribute. After all, a candle is a symbol of spiritual faith, capable of dispelling the darkness of ignorance. They began to be depicted in iconography as an obligatory attribute of some saints. On the icon of St. Brigid, wax drops flowing onto her hand are depicted as a reminder of the wounds of Christ. In the images of Saint Genevieve, the demon extinguishes the candle, and the angel lights it up again, thus personifying the allegorical struggle between good and evil. The dying candle stub in the hands of the deceased demonstrates the departure of vital energy and health.
Application in magic
In the magical action, the candle occupied a central place. This is the most easily accessible attribute of fortune tellers and soothsayers. It is even difficult to imagine how many magical mysteries are based on the symbolism of light, appearance, shape and even color of a candle. After the completion of the ceremony, not a single piece should have been lost, even the slightest stubs from candles. Where to put the evidence of the use of secret knowledge? Every witch knows about this. They are carefully buried in secluded places.
Church candles
Only church candles are used to cleanse and protect the home and property. Many monasteries have candle production. In such places people work with prayer on their lips and the name of God in their heads. The element of fire promotes purification from anger, hatred, spiritual contradictions. The cinder from in no case is thrown away. It is also not recommended to store them at home. They have already completed their mission. The question arises, what to do with the cinders of church candles? These items are returned to the temple. Nearby there are always special boxes for cinders, where everything that remains from the luminaries is put.
Present time. How are candles used now and what to do with cinders from them?
In the modern world, there was an incredible variety of ways to use such an ancient light source.
- Household candle. The most common and cheapest light source during a power outage. She is given the simplest form and unpretentious color. Available in almost every home.
- Table candle. In production, they try to give them a beautiful aesthetic shape: cone-shaped, twisted or figured. Used to spice up an event. Romantic is already unthinkable without such an attribute. It is believed that the stub of a candle, in front of which a marriage proposal was made, must be saved. It will be an amulet that preserves family relationships and strengthens life.
- Produced in the form of tablets. They have a compact appearance and are poured into an aluminum case. Used to heat teapots. Creative and romantic personalities find many more uses for them. They are inserted into decorative lamps, used in aromatic lamps.
- Gel candles. The most aesthetic and decorative. They are colorless, transparent and odorless when burned. They are given the most beautiful images. The appearance of such a product depends only on the imagination of the creator. There is probably no such person who at least once would not try to create his own miracle. Any decorative bottle is taken, any material is poured on the bottom: various shells, beads, figurines, flowers, slices of exotic fruits. The wick is inserted. After everything is filled with gel, and your own work of art is ready.
- Street candle. Designed for outdoor use. Outdoors during a picnic or in the country. Pyrotechnic additives are often added to such products. Then burning is accompanied by sparks, stars and lights of different colors.
Midnight came again and, as always, a dense gray fog descended on the sleeping village. A belated traveler, who happened to be in these places, tries in vain to get through to the gloomy, black windows of the wretched dilapidated houses of the villagers. And he has to admit that for all his short stay in this godforsaken area, not a single living creature caught his eye. But he could have sworn that when passing through this village during the day, people appeared on the road and even frail cows with dried-up udders that did not give milk were moving here and there. Cursing the inhabitants for their callousness, the traveler, depressed by the hopelessness of getting through to someone for the night, moved to the bus stop, hoping to somehow spend the night in a wretched and cramped bus waiting booth, closed on three sides. While the full moon was shining, it could be seen (even the electricity was cut off in this village, or maybe it was not at all).
Having reached the stop, he somehow crouched down on a shabby, torn wooden bench, surprised that, having only one bus stop, the residents did not keep it in proper order. And they chose this place quite unsuccessfully - opposite the old cemetery. Behind the low fence, fallen and skewed tombstones were visible, from the silhouettes of which one could guess that they were at least a hundred years old. Failed, unkempt, covered with old moss tombstones evoked unpleasant thoughts about the frailty of life. So indulging in gloomy thoughts, he began to gradually fall asleep, which was not true on his part, because through a dream that pressed him heavily against the bench, he did not hear a quiet moan, and then the rustle and noise of some kind of fuss.
He woke up only to the cry of a night owl. This heartbreaking cry he hated since childhood. Although he slept only a short time, this cry and recent experiences woke him from a state of sleep with a terribly beating heart. Understanding nothing, he looked around in fear, and finally, having come to his senses and realizing where he was and who was making these unpleasant sounds, he cursed savoryly and looked at his watch with regret. The time was about two o'clock in the morning. With trembling hands, he took out a pack of cigarettes from his breast pocket, in which there was only one cigarette. Once again scolding himself for forgetting to stock up on smoke during the day, he clamped a cigarette between his teeth and began to look for matches. From his pocket, along with the matchbox, he took out the stub of the candle, which he did not even remember how it got to him. Without thinking twice, he threw away the candle and lit a match. Bringing it to a cigarette, his gaze accidentally fell towards the cemetery and continuing to light it automatically, the following picture opened up to his eyes ...
Rarely whatcandle waxburns completely in the flame of a candle. In any house there arecinders, which are already “neither a candle to God, nor a poker to hell”, but it’s a pity to throw them away. Let's take a look at how to use them in everyday life.
Water protection
Not so long ago, candle wax was used to protect the inscription of the delivery address on letter envelopes, parcels and parcels. Responsible grandmothers and great-grandmothers with force carried several times the bottom of the candle or cinder according to the inscription. After such a procedure, one could not be afraid that the address would be washed out and become fuzzy if the rain accidentally wetted the letter or parcel.
The knowledge that wax sand, once in the pores of fabric or paper, works as a sealant, can also come in handy today. For example, parents can surprise young children with a simple trick. At the same time as the child, draw a line with a felt-tip pen on each piece of paper. Distract the child, and at this time, 2-3 times, draw a cinder along your line. Well, now, you can safely pour water on both copies. Children's surprise and delight that mom (dad) is a magician is guaranteed.
Pysanky
The fact that wax and paraffin are not afraid of water can also be used in home needlework. It's never too late to learn how to paint eggs for Easter and Trinity with wax. To make the simplest Easter eggs, you need:
- melt a candle or cinder (the candle thread is removed in advance);
- until the wax has hardened, apply it with a pattern on the shell using a heated nail wound to a pencil, or a special scribe;
- wait a few minutes, lower the egg into a cold dye solution;
- then bring the egg to a burning candle, and remove the wax that has begun to melt with a paper napkin.
This is such an exciting activity that, starting with one-color murals, there will certainly be a desire to make multi-color ornaments.
Paraffin stubs and batik for beginners
But in Indonesia, the ability of wax not to be afraid of water dyes is used to make amazingly beautiful fabrics. This technique is called hot batik. It can be used, for example, to create unique T-shirts for the whole family together with your child. You will need:
- white cotton t-shirts;
- polyethylene, sheets of white paper;
- white paraffin stubs (wax dye of colored candles can stain the fabric);
- a mixture of saturated soap solution and aniline dye batik;
- cotton swab, rubber gloves;
- iron, paper towels, newspapers.
Lay the T-shirt out on the table. Put polyethylene in it, and on top of it several layers of paper. Light a candle, wait until drops appear on the cinder. Tilting the candle, draw spots and lines with flowing paraffin. Then paint over the fabric around the hardened paraffin with a cotton swab. Wait for the material to dry. Crumple the T-shirt, and the paraffin itself will crumble from the fabric. The remaining stubborn fragments are removed by ironing with a hot iron through paper towels or newspapers, which must not be forgotten to be put inside the product. Final processing - washing in cool water.
Campfire Starter
Going to nature for barbecues, do not forget to take candle stubs with you. They will help to light a fire without any problems, especially after a rain. The most important thing is to find a place where there will be no gusts of wind that can blow out the candle flame.
Collect brushwood-cobwebs and collect firewood of different thicknesses. Split the thinner branches with a knife, making “curly brooms” out of them, and on those that are thicker, make through cuts in different places and at different angles. Hand-thick firewood must be divided into 2 parts (longitudinally). For a fire made of damp and wet wood, it is easiest to use the "hut" design:
- put a cinder in the center of the place cleared under the fire (for reliability, you can install 2 or 3 pieces by putting them together), and light the wick;
- carefully build a hut from brushwood-cobwebs so that the tips of its twigs touch the top of the light and do not touch the wick;
- when the kindling dries up and ignites, quickly place the next hut around it from split thin, and then thicker branches;
- large firewood is installed last.
You should not worry that the barbecue will smell like paraffin. By the time the wood burns out on the coals, there will be no trace or smell left of it.
Of course, if a lot of cinders have accumulated, and there is a candle thread in the house or objects from which it is possible to make a wooden wick, then a new candle can be smelted. But if you are a candle fan, then it is better to buy wax sand for this. It is intended for the quick production of fashionable bulk candles, but it is also possible to make bulk author's options from it.
Do you have any candle stubs left? Don't throw them away. In skillful runes, they will bring many more benefits.
1. First of all, you can make an “eternal candle” out of them without the hassle. Take a small piece of asbestos cord no thicker than a pencil, or cut a piece of the same size from an asbestos sheet - there you have a wick. Soak everything in melted paraffin. Interlace two pieces of thin wire, securing the prepared wick in the middle. Put the wire in a clean tin can, sketch out the stubs and light it. Gradually, all the cinders will melt, the paraffin will rise along the wick, and the candle will burn. You just have to throw raw materials into the jar from time to time.
2. Bottle cork soaked in molten paraffin or stearin is excellent for removing dirt from tiles or wall tiles.
3. If you make a cork for a bottle of stationery glue from a paraffin candle, its neck will not become crusted.
4. Moving heavy furniture will become much easier if you put milk bags under the legs - white, with the inside to the floor. Coated with paraffin, they glide well on the floor.
5. If the metal "zippers" on boots, bags, jackets do not close well, rub them with a candle. After such processing, the fasteners will slide like clockwork. The same should be done with poorly retractable drawers or cabinets.
6. Molten paraffin can be used to firmly putty cracks in window frames. Warm the syringe (without the needle) in water to 70 degrees. Type melted paraffin into it and fill in the crevices. Of course, this operation must be carried out quickly, from time to time heating the syringe.
7. If you want a polished bronze or copper product to retain its luster longer, hold it for several minutes in boiling water with a small amount of paraffin melted in it, and then wipe it dry. The resulting film will protect the metal from oxidation for a long time.
8. Being engaged in home canning, you doubted whether jars or bottles are well sealed. Do like our great-grandmothers, fill the necks of the cans (over the lids) with melted paraffin for reliability. And you can do without covers at all. After sterilization and cooling, pour a layer of melted wax 2 cm thick onto the surface. The wax will harden and seal the jar, eliminating the formation of an air gap.
9. Accidentally dropped stearin on your suit? Don't be upset. You don't have to resort to chemicals. Put several layers of blotting paper on both sides of the soiled area of the fabric and iron it with a hot iron - the paper will absorb the melted stearin. And if the stain is large, change the paper.
10. When caring for cacti, you splintered your hands with thorns. Drip liquid wax from a burning candle onto these places and, when it cools down, remove it along with the thorns.
11. To care for unpolished furniture, it is good to prepare wax mastic: melt equal parts of wax, turpentine and kerosene in a water bath. Lightly rinse the furniture with warm water, wipe it dry, and then apply the mastic evenly and rub it to a shine with a cloth.
12. If your nails are splitting or cracking, make yourself wax thimbles at night by dipping your fingertips into the melted wax. When it hardens, put on light gloves or fingertips. Remove the wax carefully in the morning.
And in conclusion a few tips on the economical use of ordinary candles made from stearin, paraffin or wax. Before lighting a candle, dip it in salt water, it will not melt and will last longer. If a 0.2 mm thick metal foil ring is put on the top of the candle, the candle will burn much longer, and in addition, melted paraffin will not drip. As the candle burns out, the ring will drop down by itself.
The flame of a lit candle cleans the air of tobacco smoke and other unpleasant odors.
It is believed among the people that in no case should even the packaging of consecrated things be thrown away. Of course, it is best to discuss any issues related to the ritual side of religion with your own. If there is no such mentor, you will have to ask the advice of more knowledgeable Christians. As a rule, objects that have fulfilled their purpose are collected and then given to the purifying fire. Ashes, ashes and everything left after burning are recommended to be collected and then buried in the ground. Moreover, the burial place should not be disturbed by either people or animals.
Candle behind images
With cinders from church candles, they act differently. They are burned along with the rest of the waste, or stored behind the images. Most believers return the collected stubs 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.
In city churches and cathedrals, such boxes can rarely be seen, the thing is that novices or matushkas most often remove the candles themselves in the evenings after the service, regardless of whether they have burned out or not. Collected candles are recycled, because almost all parishes have not only church shops, but also workshops. The novices also clean the cups on the candlestick from spilled wax, they usually do this with the help of a small spatula and a brush with which they brush off the wax. It is not accepted to collect it.
Maundy Thursday Tradition
However, candles are still customary to burn to the end. There is no rule against lighting a candle more than once. And when it burns out, you can put a new one there. In large ones, for example, many parishioners light a candle in the temple, and then, after the service, they extinguish it and carry it home. This custom has been around for a very long time. On Maundy Thursday, Orthodox Christians gathered for an all-night prayer, during which Thursday was lit. She was endowed with truly mystical properties. On Friday morning, a lit candle was carried home, in every possible way protecting the flame from wind and bad weather. If the candle goes out, trouble will certainly happen, and if you managed to save the fire and light the lamp from it, there is nothing to fear this year.
With this candle, the owner went around the whole house to protect its inhabitants from the machinations of the evil one. So, the stub of the candle was kept all year, until the next Thursday, lighting a fire on the biggest holidays or the most difficult times. On the eve of the new holiday, paper was lit from the flame of the cinder and melted the stove with it, consecrating the whole house.
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