Oh Those Candles! From Necessity To Simple Pleasure

Candles were invented several millennia ago to illuminate the world for our ancestors. They were initially molded solely to serve that single purpose, nothing more. Neither fancy nor scented, they performed a basic function and met an essential need.

Many different civilizations from all over the world developed some type of candle to chase away the dark. These early candles were as varied as were the people that fashioned them, and the environment that they were created in directly affected their formation. Each culture relied on whatever resources were naturally occurring to develop their unique type of candle. For example, in India where cinnamon trees grew, candles were formed out of the wax that rose to the surface when the fruit of the cinnamon tree was boiled.

As exploration and worldwide travel increased, the base for candles gradually became more universalized. Tallow, a wax obtained from animal fat, became commonly used, and beeswax became popular with members of higher society whom were capable of affording it.

Sometime around eight hundred years ago, candle making transformed into a profession, and a man known as a chandler began visiting homes to make people’s candles for them. He would use the resident’s own tallow or beeswax, dipping wicks to craft tapers in exchange for payment. Many of these chandlers also opened and maintained the first shops that sold candles.

During the 15th century, Parisians developed candle molds, and paraffin, a concentrate of petroleum oil, was accepted as the foremost base for candles during the 19th century. Soon after, the manufacturing process was mechanized, making candles mass-producible and affordable to the general public. Henceforth, candles were purchased in retail shops more frequently than they were homemade.

Around this same time, the candle’s role in life began to undergo a serious transformation. Modern lighting was invented, and the candle was suddenly replaced as the sole source of artificial illumination.

Having been widely adopted as an important component in various religious rites, candles continued to serve a purpose, but although they were no longer critically needed in private homes, they were hardly done away with. People still relied on candles in case of power outages and used them in times of celebration. Their popularity waned only slightly over the centuries.

Then, in the 1980’s there was a great resurgence of the candle’s prominence, particularly in America. It became fashionable to decorate with candles, and they became widely used to create ambience. Candle makers began producing a motley array of candles, developing candles in a great variety of colors, sizes, and shapes. Quickly, fragrance became a critical factor in a candle’s allure, and the candle acquired a whole new ‘flavor’.

Today, the popularity of candles continues to escalate. They’ve become an important aspect of décor in more than 70% if all American homes, a fashionable gift idea for both men and women, and an aromatic means of stress-reduction in an increasingly hectic world. An item that started out as a basic necessity has truly completed its transformation into an object of simple pleasure.