Candles have long fascinated us. They are used in religious ceremonies all over the world and we buy them in bulk to light up our homes. They throw off a comforting light and, in modern times, can seem kind of spooky. It is little wonder that there are so many superstitions devoted to the candle, how it burns, how many to burn, and, in the case of the earth religions, the candle’s color. Here are ten older superstitions associated with candles. I didn’t include the candle color beliefs in this article because the subject deserves its own exclusive article.
Snuff Your Candles
You should never let your candles burn down and die out on their own, according to Lincolnshire superstition. If you do so, a sailor will die at sea. In the practice of witchcraft, many practitioners will allow their candles to burn down and out to release their spell to the air. This is different than neglecting a candle until it burns out because the burn out is intentional and done with purpose.
Blue Flame
This is said to be true of regular candles and not the trick candles you can buy that burn blue. If a regular, burning candle turns from a yellow to a blue flame, a ghost is present.
Candles of Three
It is unlucky to light a group of three candles for anything but a religious observance. Traditionally, three candles would be lit for the writing of a will, hence the death association and ill-luck.
Protection From Hawks
In English lore, a candle should be carefully waved over hatching chicken eggs. This is supposed to prevent the chicks from being attacked and eaten by hawks.
Thunderstorm
For protection during a thunderstorm, people would bless a candle, or have a special candle blessed for them, and light it during the storm. As long as the candle was lit, they were protected from thunder and lightning.
Church Candle
In Belgium is the superstition that if an altar candle burns out for not known reason, the minister will soon die. If some other church candle burns out, someone in the congregation is about to die.
New Lover
To bring a new lover to yourself, light a tapered candle and stick two pins through it. When the candle has burned down far enough to release both pins, a new lover will make himself known to you.
Finding a Drowned Body
An old superstition that was used well into the 1800s states that you must float a loaf of bread with a lit candle in it on a body of water to find someone who has ground. The loaf of bread will float out and stop over where the body lies underneath.
Deserted House
To discover who your future husband will be, go to a deserted house. At midnight, light a small, thin, tapered white candle. Stick a pin through the middle of the candle. and when the candle burns below the pin and the pin falls to the ground, you will see a vision of who you will marry.
Blow Out
It is said that if you want to see who you will marry, you should light a candle and leave it to burn. Your future mate will come along and blow it out.
Sources:
Daniels, C. (1971). Encyclopaedia of superstitions, folklore, and the occult sciences of the world; a comprehensive library of human belief and practice in the mysteries of life … Detroit: Gale Research.
Roud, S. (2003). The Penguin guide to the superstitions of Britain and Ireland. London: Penguin.
Thomas, Daniel Lindsey, and Lucy Blayney Thomas. Kentucky Superstitions. Princeton, N.J.: Princeton UP, 1920. Print.
