You’ll always hear us talk about how luxury candles are such an effective way to enhance your interior design and create a welcoming atmosphere in your home – but what’s more, they’re also an important way of honouring traditions and celebrating events. Different countries and cultures use candles in different (and fascinating) ways – so here are just a few of our favourites!
Advent
The run-up to Christmas is always an exciting time but, for Christians, lighting candles during this period is highly symbolic. People will often light a new candle every Sunday throughout Advent, before lighting a ‘Christ Candle’ on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day itself. However, it isn’t just Christians or religious people who embrace candlelight during this time. After all, luxury scented candles are the perfect way to evoke the unmistakable scents of Christmastime.
Hannukah
Known as the ‘Festival of Lights’, it should come as no surprise that candles are a major feature of the Jewish celebration, Hannukah. Over a period of eight days, candles are burned in a menorah to represent the oil that lit up the Temple. Referred to as the ‘miracle of light’, it’s believed that the candlelight shines a light on darkness and symbolises our ability to triumph against adversity.
Kwanzaa
Celebrated by millions, the seven-day festival of Kwanzaa celebrates African American heritage, with each day representing a principle, such as unity, purpose, creativity, and faith. On each day of the holiday, a candle is lit and placed in a holder, known as a kinara. Kwanzaa culminates with a communal celebration or feast, called the Karamu, and celebrants share food, enjoy music, and give gifts to one another.
Weddings
Whether the bride and groom are holding a religious or secular ceremony, you’ll often see candles playing a pivotal role in wedding celebrations. Often, the bride and groom will each light a candle before using the flames to jointly light a third candle in order to symbolise their unity. As wedding candles are often a treasured keepsake, it’s the perfect time to choose luxury handmade candles that will be a reminder of your special day.
Diwali
The Hindu festival of Diwali, also known as the Festival of Lights, is also celebrated by Sikhs and Jains, making it one of the largest festivals in the world. Usually lasting five days, people celebrate the triumph of light over darkness, or good over evil. As you might imagine, candles play an important role throughout the five-day period. People often illuminate the inside of their homes, as well as the exterior of buildings, as a way of celebrating and fireworks are a common feature too.
The Importance of Candles
With so many global festivals and celebrations prominently featuring candles, it’s not surprising they’ve become such a popular addition to homes throughout the world. From symbolising hope, unity, and love to commemorating religious events and special occasions, people routinely use luxury handmade candles to celebrate, commemorate, and bring cheer.
Right now, here at Melt we’re finding that citrusy scents like Joy and Dance are some of the most popular for our customers, helping to keep them happy and energised. But there’s also a clear preference for calmer, more relaxing scents, like Hush, Lavender and Angel. You can shop them all right here on our site, or find your own favourites from amongst our range!
