By lighting a
candle it is not only for oneself, but for family members and anyone else for God
to watch over.
Different meanings
Lighting a candle is
making an offering to God. It is offering our prayers and thanks to Him for His
blessings.
Lighting a candle
is a symbol of prayer. The act of lighting a candle is a prayer without words,
although still say a prayer as one lights a candle.
The light
represents the people and the Faith. When standing in church one is like the
flame, alive and attentive to the Word of God. Therefore, it represents one’s presence
in the church. It is also a reminder that Christ is the LIGHT of the world and
the FLAME is the Holy Spirit.
Furthermore, the
candle is like a person – coming into the church from the world with a harden
heart. Just as the heat of the flame melts the wax making it soft, hopefully
the same will happen for the individual and their heart will soften and accept God.
At most candle
stands there will be one main candle in the middle. Light your candle from this
one – it is symbolic as this main candle (representing Christ) offers light to
all the small ones (the people).
How to light your candle
After making a
donation:
- light the candle(s);
- quietly say a prayer whilst lighting it;
- make the sign of Cross; then
- go venerate the icons.
If you have more
than one candle, repeat each stage for each candle before going to venerate the
icons.
One custom, if the
candle stand contains sand, is to draw a small sign of the Cross in the sand with
the candle then place it in the middle.
Buying a candle
Before lighting a
candle a donation is made to help cover the church’s expenses.
Although the
thicker candles have a set price, the thinner ones do not as the church wants
to make them affordable for everyone. Therefore, it is up to the person’s
discretion how much to give.
The donation
should be based upon one’s circumstances and what they are able to give.
Someone who lives a very comfortable life is better able to give more than a
person who is impoverished. A person who falls into the latter category is
actually allowed to take the candle for free, but only if they are truly
struggling to survive.
In short, give to
the church according to one’s means.
Lighting tall candles
There is the
custom of lighting very tall, thick candles.
As lighting a
candle is an offering to God, these larger candles are for people who are
praying for a miracle.
The tallness
symbolises the person’s prayer being closer to Heaven so God can hear it. These
candles range from 1m to 3m. They are then placed in a specially designed
candle box to hold them.
They are more
expensive but it expresses the person’s faith because it shows how much they
want their prayers answered.
Use of candles at home
Church candles can
be used at home, such as for house blessings or burning the Holy Light on
Pascha.
There are several
types, including:
† Paschal lambathes (candles)
† white, 40-day pre-Ascension candles
† plain yellow candles
† natural beewax
By keeping them in
the icon corner they are held on reserve. It also helps when transferring the
Holy Light on Pascha to the kantilia.
It is a good way
of supporting the church and maintaining a very close connection. As the icon
corner is the “home church” it should be treated the same as an actual church.
