5 anecdotes about the history of candles

Whether you like them scented candles where the handmade candles , here's everything you need to know about candles.

The origin of the word candle

Do you know where the word comes from? candle ? Appearing in the 19th century, the candle takes its name from the small Algerian town of the same name (Bugaya in Arabic). A coastal town, it was renowned for the quality of its beeswax. It was therefore a major player in the European supply of this product.

Birthday candles

Why do we blow candles on our anniversary? This tradition dates back to Greek Antiquity. Indeed, when we celebrated our birthday, we honored Artemis, goddess of wild nature, hunting and childbirth. The latter was connected to the moon. It was therefore a symbol of fecundity and fertility. On their birthday, every Greek baked a honey cake in the shape of a moon. In order to imitate the glow and brilliance of this celestial body, he placed candles all around. From then on, tradition celebrated the goddess with a prayer (the one performed before blowing out her candles). Little by little, it was democratized to give way to the traditional candles that you put on your cake on your birthday to see your wishes come true.

The candle: unit of measurement

There candle was also used as a unit of measurement! It made it possible to measure light intensity. Later, it will be replaced by the Candela which also measures a quantity of lighting, in a given direction. Candela comes from Latin and means “to shine”.

Also used as a measure of time, candles were graduated and made it possible to measure elapsed time. In the Middle Ages, Christians used it to know the times of prayers. It is also thanks to religious habits and customs that the use of candles became democratized and spread throughout history.

Nose and speck

Don't blow on your candle to turn it off! Mouchettes are metal scissors that were once used to “snub” the candle wick. Indeed, the verb follows from the object! This pair of scissors made it possible to extinguish and recover the consumed wick. The tool was equipped, on one of the blades, with a small reservoir intended to collect the cut and charred part of the candle wick.

Never light a cigarette with a candle

According to beliefs and superstitions, lighting a cigarette with a candle would endanger the life of a sailor! This superstition dates back to recent centuries. In the past, the Society of Breton Rescuers made and sold matches in order to raise funds for the protection of their association. Their role was to rescue sailors in distress. Lighting a cigarette with a candle and not a match therefore deprived society of a gift and the means to be able to come to the aid of a sailor.

Did you know ? The residents also offer their handmade candles. Christmas table decoration successful guaranteed ! Full success assured also for a centerpiece decoration Or birthday table decoration !