Candles and Ritual – The Use of Candles in December Religious Ceremonies

Throughout history candles have figured prominently in religious ceremonies. This becomes especially apparent in December with St. Lucia’s Day, Advent, Hanukkah, Christmas all falling within the month and relying heavily on the symbolic use of candles.

People in Scandinavian countries light candles on St. Lucia’s Day, December 13th, in honor of Saint Lucy of Syracuse, a Fourth Century Christian martyr who brought hope during the dark winter months by carrying food to Christians who had fled into tunnels to escape persecution. St. Lucy (whose name means “light”) wore a crown of candles to light her way.

Advent, which celebrates the coming of the Messiah, begins the fourth Sunday before Christmas; Christians in many countries celebrate Advent by lighting a candle on each of those four Sundays. On each of the first three Sundays a purple candle is lit to represent Hope, Love, and Joy respectively. On the Fourth Sunday a pink candle, symbolizing Peace, is lit, and on Christmas Day a white candle is lit to commemorate the birth of Jesus.

The Christian practice of lighting a candle on Christmas Eve was inspired by the Jewish “Feast of Lights,” or Hanukkah.

Hanukkah is an eight-day ceremony that involves lighting candles in a menorah-a candle holder that holds nine candles, one for each day of Hanukkah, with the ninth being used to light the other eight. Each day of Hanukkah one new candle is lit-one the first day, two the second, three the third, and so on. The ceremony commemorates the rededication of the Temple after the Maccabees won Israel’s independence from the Seleucid monarchy; a lamp that had only enough ritually pure olive oil for one day burned for eight days, giving the victors enough time to secure more oil.

The most recently established of these December holidays is Kwanzaa, celebrated the last week of the year (December 26 to January 1). Ron Karenga created Kwanzaa in 1966 to give African Americans an alternative to Christmas. The holiday is celebrated primarily in the United States.

Kwanzaa was born out of the Civil Rights movement, but as the turbulent Sixties wound down, so did Kwanzaa’s militant flavor, and it became a holiday for African Americans to celebrate themselves and their history. Participants light seven candles in a special candle holder called a kinara to celebrate the seven principles of kwanza, which focus on building a strong African American community.


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