Also called votive candle, vigil light, veladora, petition to Our Lady, lighting a candle for someone
The Catholic and wider Christian custom of lighting a small candle before an image of Mary or a saint as a lasting sign of a prayer, often with a written petition left at the shrine or tucked under the candle at home.
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Take care: Use glass holders on a heat-proof surface, keep paper petitions away from the flame and never leave a candle burning unattended or near curtains.
Most Nordic Lutheran churches keep a round metal candle stand, the ljusbärare, with a large central candle from which visitors light small candles of their own. It shows the custom of lighting a candle as a prayer outlasted the Reformation and is shared by Catholics, Lutherans and Anglicans alike.
Worshippers set long, thin beeswax candles in sand-filled stands before icons of Christ or the Theotokos. Orthodox churches usually keep a separate stand for candles lit for the departed, so prayers for the living and the dead are kept apart.
Tall glass candles printed with Our Lady of Guadalupe, the Sacred Heart or a saint burn for days on home altars and in shops. Families light one for a sick relative, a traveler or a new job, and sometimes tape a photo or petition to the glass.
Christians have burned lamps and candles at the tombs of martyrs and before holy images since late antiquity, a custom that grew from the general practice of offering light in thanks or petition. By the Middle Ages, churches across Europe held racks of candles before images of Mary and the saints, and the light was understood as a sign that a person's prayer continued after they left.
Written petitions grew alongside the candles. Many shrines keep boxes or books for prayer requests, and religious orders promise to remember them at Mass. Churches usually place a donation box beside the candle rack, so lighting a candle is also a small gift to the church. In the 20th century cheap glass vigil candles made the custom easy at home, especially in Latin American households, and petition candles became one of the most widespread devotions in the Christian world.
A modern release rite: write down what you want to let go of and burn the paper in a fireproof bowl, usually at year's end. Popularised by Unity churches in the twentieth century, with older relatives in New Year fire customs.
Candle magic means choosing a candle by colour, dressing it with oil and herbs, stating a clear wish, and letting it burn down while you hold the intention. It is the most common working technique in modern folk magic and the base for hundreds of other spells.
A seven-day candle is a tall candle poured into a glass jar that burns for about a week, used for novenas, prayers to saints and Hoodoo or botánica petitions. The glass makes a long, steady burn possible and gives room for printed prayers or a personal label.
Tell us what you need and we will craft a custom spell, charm or reading for it. Or call to book a reading or a road blessing in person.
