A perpetual light burns on Christ’s tomb in the church of the Holy Sepulcher at Jerusalem.They place person’s picture, flowers, and funeral candles around the body, and the family sits in wait. Family members keep an overnight vigil for at least one night. During a Chinese funeral, a wake lasts several days.Japanese celebrate the Feast of Lanterns.Catholics light votive candles on All Souls’ Day in memory of the faithful departed.Here are some examples of other funeral candle customs: These usually consist of a cross, statues or pictures of the Virgin Mary, pictures of the deceased, and funeral candles. At home, some families build altars or small shrines. People go to cemeteries to be with the departed souls and build private altars with favorite foods and beverages. The holiday focuses on the gathering of family and friends to pray for and remember those who have died. For ShrinesĪ holiday celebrated throughout Mexico is the Day of the Dead. They also light it on the anniversary of the person’s death and on certain holidays as well. They light the funeral candle during the initial mourning period immediately following a death. Every year it is Jewish custom to light a special candle that burns for 24 hours, called a Yahrzeit candle. For Death AnniversariesĪ Yahrzeit, which is Yiddish for “a year’s time,” is the anniversary of the death of a loved one. Because the lights continually burned as a silent vigil, they became known as vigil lights. The lights burned as a sign of solidarity with Christians still on earth. The Catholic practice of lighting candles has its origins in burning lights at the tombs of martyrs in the catacombs.
Lighting a candle is a way of extending one’s prayer and showing solidarity with the person the prayer is for. The candles appear before statues of saints or at shrines. The sight of burning votive candles is common in most Catholic churches. Later, the flickering light of a funeral candle was symbolic of human life. Lamps were an aid to the dead to find their way through the darkness. The belief was that torches and lights at a funeral could guide the departed soul to its eternal abode. The spirit has not fully realized death has occurred and may return to bring family members into the afterlife. Additionally, these narratives revealed that the use of fire confuses the spirit of the deceased. Early narratives of death include claims that candles were emblems of joy, Heaven, and life, and ban all dark spirits. They also would carry torches in funeral processions.Īncient cultures lit fires around the body to ward off evil spirits from taking possession of the corpse. Long after Christians denounced night-time burial as a pagan practice, they would place funeral candles around the body. Burials occurred at night so torches were essential. The word “funeral” itself indicates a torch-lit profession, derived from the Latin funeralis, from funis, a torch. It provides comfort to the bereaved and respect to the dead. Used throughout history by ancient civilizations, pagans, and Judeo-Christians, fire is an enduring tradition. The presence of fire at funerals is as old a custom as funerals themselves. The bereaved may light a candle to remember a loved one, pray for their soul, and feel more connected. People currently use them during the funeral service itself, in churches, cemeteries, and homes. People burn a funeral candle in remembrance of a loved one who has passed away. For thousands of years, candles have symbolized the everlasting spirit.
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