Funeral candle: features, traditions and interesting facts

Why do worshipers light a candle? Its flame has always been considered a symbol of prayerful burning before God, His Mother, and the holy saints. This is the believer’s participation in the divine light, his voluntary sacrifice to God and His temple. When you light a candle for someone, you do it with sincere love and goodwill towards him. Without such feelings, the sacrifice will be in vain. In the Orthodox religion there is a special tradition of lighting funeral candles for the repose. Many believers are only superficially familiar with it, so we will try to cover in the article all the most important issues relating to this tradition.

How are candles placed in the temple?

When lighting not only memorial candles, but also others, in God’s temple, believers usually observe the following:

Candles are lit before the service begins. If you are late for the liturgy, wait until it ends to light a candle. This is done so as not to disrupt decorum during the service.
How many candles you put is only your voluntary desire.
First of all, they place a candle in front of the central lectern, then in front of a particularly revered icon of the temple. Then - in front of the relics of the saint (if there are any), the next line is for health, funeral candles for repose.
A candle is usually lit from another burning candle. Lighters and matches are not used in the temple, and it is also not customary to light from a lamp. The candle is placed directly in an empty cell.
If there are no more spaces in the cells, then you need to put the candle on the candlestick. It is wrong to put two in a cell or remove someone else’s to make room for your own.

What should you take to the cemetery?

When going to burial places on parent’s day, you can, in principle, come empty-handed. It is important to take only blessed candles to light them at the grave. But since few of us cannot afford to come to the resting place of our relatives often, then, as a rule, if we decide to go there, we try to arrange a wide wake. At the same time, many make serious mistakes because they do not know the rules about what they take to the cemetery on Parents' Day.

First of all, it is permissible to take fresh funeral flowers to decorate the tombstone with. At the same time, some priests do not recommend buying wreaths of artificial flowers to decorate graves, while others treat this issue leniently. The fact is that there are no special religious rules in this regard. Some clergy advise refraining from artificial flowers, based solely on their environmental friendliness, and not on any special religious taboos. Therefore, the issue of flowers remains at the discretion of each individual person.

Another thing is that there are a number of instructions regarding how to decorate a tombstone with flowers. The following rules have been adopted.

The number of flowers in a bouquet or wreath must be even.
It is necessary to place the bouquet with the corollas of flowers at the head of the grave.
The color scheme of the buds is in restrained tones.

It is acceptable to take some food products to the cemetery on parenting days, in particular sweets: cookies and candies. Surely everyone has seen bags with sweets inside laid out on graves, since many believe that by leaving sweets on a gravestone, they are thereby “treating” their deceased relatives with them. Moreover, even such seemingly inappropriate things as glasses filled with vodka or other alcohol, as well as cigarettes, are often found on graves. The clergy call such offerings superstitions that have survived to this day since pagan times. Then such actions were considered the norm, but now such offerings from believing Orthodox Christians are unacceptable.

Food brought to the cemetery on parenting days can be left, but not on the tombstones, but nearby - on special tables that are often installed near the graves. This is done so that poor people can come, take culturally left food for themselves, and thereby remember the deceased. Another argument expressed against bringing food to graves is that it often becomes the prey of crows or stray dogs, of which there are quite a lot there. They will only tear the package, take away the candy wrappers and wrappers, and litter it.

The most reasonable thing would be not to leave food near the grave, even on the table, but to distribute it to the poor, who usually beg at the entrance to the territory. But in relation to cigarettes and alcoholic beverages left at the cemetery, the church clearly speaks out negatively.

Where are funeral candles placed in the church?

You can light a candle for repose in any church on the eve. This is a rectangular table with a marble or metal board where cells for candles are located. It is also easy to find by the rectangular candlestick with the Crucifixion of Christ. Usually eve tables are placed on the left side of the church.

But if there is no icon with the Crucifixion in the church, then you can place a candle for the soul of the deceased at any icon. The main thing is not to do this automatically, detachedly, without bright thoughts about the deceased.

What to do with candles

After the funeral service and funeral, relatives must collect the remaining wax products. The cinders are placed under the back of the deceased, in the jacket pocket. If they are buried in a closed coffin, they leave the attributes on the lid and lower them into the grave with them.

If the candle from the funeral remains intact and has not been used for its intended purpose, it is recommended:

Periodically light a lamp at home.
Use for prayer to remember the deceased.
Take it to the temple, place it for the repose of the deceased. There is a separate place in the church with a cross and a special candlestick. Check with the workers and the priest where you can put the candle.
Burn it on the ground and leave the cinder there.

Do not use funeral paraphernalia at home. Energy is aimed at accompanying the deceased to the afterlife. It is forbidden to use candles in spells, rituals for good luck and health. Leaving funeral attributes at home means bringing a piece of the dead world, holding the soul of the deceased.

How to light a candle for repose?

Let us light funeral candles according to the canon accepted from time immemorial:

Approaching the icon with the Crucifixion, an Orthodox person crosses himself twice.
From the burning candles he lights his own.
The candle is placed in a free cell. Secure it with wax so that it does not fall or come into contact with others.
While he lights the candle, the believer silently repeats a short prayer: “Rest, O Lord, the soul of Your departed servant (name of the deceased).”
In conclusion, you should once again cross yourself in front of the icon and bow to it.
If you light several funeral candles, then all steps must be repeated the required number of times.

Candles for the repose of suicides

In Christianity, suicide is considered one of the grave sins, which is why you cannot pray for someone who has chosen this path or light candles for him in church. Funeral services for suicides are also prohibited. Previously, people who died voluntarily were not even allowed to be buried in a cemetery - their graves were outside the graveyard fence.

Today, however, there are no prohibitions for relatives and friends in choosing a burial place for someone who has chosen suicide. And in rare cases, funeral services are held for suicides, mostly when the deceased was mentally ill during his lifetime. But permission for this can only be issued by the bishop himself or his representative.

Only their immediate relatives can pray and light funeral candles at home for those who have voluntarily passed away.

Church candles

Only church candles are used to cleanse and protect the home and property. Many monasteries have candle production. In such places they work with prayer on their lips and the name of God in their heads. The element of fire promotes cleansing from anger, hatred, and spiritual contradictions. Under no circumstances should the cinder be thrown away. It is also not recommended to store them at home. They have already completed their mission. The question arises, what to do with the stubs of church candles? These items are returned to the temple. Nearby there are always special boxes for cinders, where everything that remains from the luminaries is stored.

Can a pregnant woman light a candle for her repose?

In the old days, they tried not to let the expectant mother into public places, including the temple - they were afraid that she might be jinxed. Now the mystical era has passed. A pregnant woman, if she wishes, can go to church and light funeral candles for the repose of her loved ones.

There are, however, small caveats: if a woman has a miscarriage, then it is better for her not to go to church for 40 days. As for critical days, opinions are divided here. Some people think that you shouldn’t go to church at this time, much less light funeral candles. Other believers object, not considering the physiological processes in our body to be sin. By the way, for this reason, for 40 days after childbirth, many do not advise young mothers to go to the House of God - until the bleeding completely stops.

Candles for the repose of the living

I really wonder why they put funeral flowers and candles on a living person? This is done solely out of a desire to harm him, damage him, or even bring him to the grave.

Usually this happens at the instigation of various sorcerers and magicians - they claim that if you light a candle for the repose of a living person, then he will stop enjoying life, he will be surrounded by troubles and illnesses, which will lead to a speedy death. And the very psychological factor of the fact that a candle has been lit for them makes many people worry and expect something terrible and inevitable.

In fact, the person they want to harm in this way is in absolutely no danger. God sees everything, and the only one who will suffer here is the one who wished harm to his neighbor.

When are candles lit for repose after the death of a person?

On social networks, there is a mournful tradition of publishing poems about a funeral candle as soon as it becomes known about the death of a loved one or acquaintance. Candles for the repose are lit both on the day of death and for 40 days after it. However, before the forty-day period has passed, they are lit for the newly deceased, and only then for the repose of his soul.

Many people are also interested in the frequency with which funeral candles are lit. Traditions do not provide any special instructions. In some houses, candles burn for 40 days without going out. However, most follow this tradition:

Candles are lit on the day of death. They burn until the body is removed from the house.
The candle lights glow throughout the funeral dinner.
The next time the candles are lit is on the ninth day, and then only on the fortieth day.

Preliminary preparation of the premises

To carry out the ritual according to all the rules, preparation for it is necessary. The first and most important thing you should do is general cleaning. First you need to ensure the physical cleanliness of the room, and only then improve the energy.

Important subtleties

In conclusion of the topic of the Orthodox tradition, we would like to remind you of several important subtleties:

In the temple, candles for the repose, as you know, are placed on a rectangular eve table. For health - all round. If you are confused, there is nothing to worry about - God still sees your thoughts as they are.
Candles for repose can be placed in front of any icon, if there is no eve with the Crucifixion of Christ.
You can light several funeral candles for one person. Just like lighting one candle to remember several deceased ones. The main thing is not to forget to say a prayer for each of them.
It makes no difference on which side you place the candle for the repose on the eve.

Funeral candles in Judaism

The tradition of lighting candles in memory of the deceased is also alive in Judaism. Followers of this faith light candles and lamps both in the first week after the death of a loved one, and on every anniversary of this mournful day.

The features of the tradition here are as follows:

The candle must burn in the house without going out for seven days after the person’s death.
On the anniversary of death, a special candle is lit and burns for 24 hours.
The candle is lit by a mourner close to the deceased. Usually this is a son or daughter.
Tradition prescribes lighting a candle in the room or house where the deceased lived. If this is not possible, then where the mourners are.
Both olive oil and wax candles are used. Sometimes they are even replaced with electric light.

Thus, the tradition of lighting funeral candles is alive not only in Orthodoxy. The main thing is to remember the deceased, offer a prayer for his soul, and perform the ritual with bright thoughts.

What to do with leftover church candles?

You probably can’t throw away the leftover candles since they don’t burn out completely, what should I do?

They are taken to church. There is a special place for candle stubs. If you don’t know where it is, you can ask anyone in the church and they will definitely show you. Then they find a use for them themselves.

They can be melted down and made into new candles. Take a 200 gram jar, lower a thick thread to the bottom and hang the tip on the edge. Melt wax or paraffin in a water bath and pour into a jar. Once hardened, break the jar and you will have a nice long lasting candle.

Video (click to play).

Wax is a waste product of bees. It's really a shame to throw away such a product. Let us not forget that our Father did not create bees for the church. The Father created bees for Man. Therefore, you can determine the purpose of the remaining candles yourself.

You need to take candles to the Temple and put them in a box for candle stubs; usually they are located next to large church candlesticks. Church workers collect such cinders and melt them down to make low-grade, cheap candles.

Here is information about what needs to be done with the cinders remaining after the burning of church candles:

As we see, the priest answers that it is best to take them to the nearest temple.

They will most likely be recycled there into new candles.

I think it’s better to take them to church, they’ll figure out what to do with them

I also heard that you shouldn’t throw away leftover candles that, due to some circumstances, may remain at home.

You can, for example, melt them yourself.

And if such a variety is not suitable, you can take them to the nearest church. You've probably seen how there are special trays where the remains of candles are dumped.