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About Candles

Candle is a simple source of light that has been used since antiquity. If functions on a principle of changing chemical energy bound in a solid body of a candle to light energy. It consists of a candle body, wick and eventually cup.

Types of candles

  • Pressed – they’re made by pressing powder material to case shape that can be put for example into cemetery candle cups.
  • Hauled – they’re made in two basic shapes – cylinder and cone. These candles are made by alternately soaking the wick into paraffin and water.
  • Cast into forms – they’re made by casting wax into forms of different shapes and diameters.
  • Cast into cups – these candles are often flavored. For casting, mostly vessels from glass, ceramic or plastic are used).
Historická svíčka

What were and are candles made from?

Making of candles was appreciated mostly by old Egyptians, around 3 000 B.C., when candles were made from genuine beeswax.

Other materials used for making candles:

  • whale oil (in China, around 221 – 206 B.C.)
  • wax from boiled cinnamon (probably India)
  • tallow (in France in 1st century A.D.)
  • paraffin, stearin
  • candle gel
  • palm wax
  • soya wax
Hořící svíčky

Use of candles

  • celebrations
  • religion, masses
  • creating a special athmosphere
  • torches of live fire
  • Christmas time

In earlier times, candles were used also for other (some of them nearly extinct) activities, for example for warming up of sealing-wax, sealing of imortant documents etc.
In Czech Republic, candles are mostly used in cemeteries as a reminiscence of deceased.