“Candles are funny things, you know. You lay them by every spring, knowing that a summer storm may knock out the power. And when the time comes, they hide.” An excerpt from the short story, “The Mist” by Stephen King from the collection “Skeleton Crew” published in 1985 by the New American Library. I was thankful my candles didn’t hide over the weekend when the power went out in our neighborhood. There wasn’t a mad scramble to provide light since I had already lit them earlier in the day. It was actually quite pleasant when the harsh glare of electric light disappeared to be replaced by the soft glow of the candles in their holders.
A candle’s flame can be almost as mesmerizing as the light generated by the dancing flames in a fireplace. It’s very relaxing to sit back and watch a candle burn slowly, even if you’re only savoring the moment by yourself. It can transform one’s mood on long, dark nights. If you’re really quiet, not only is the visual effect soothing, so too is the sound of it burning, or “weeping,” as Boris Pasternak alluded to in one of his poems.
This comes from a very old edition of the Britannica. “By the end of the 18th century, candles were used more than lanterns to light rooms.” The great writers down through the ages penned the books we refer to today as classics by the light of a single burning candle. Great symphonies were composed in its tremulous flame. Great love affairs kindled in its glow, while others flickered out just as the flame died.
You can do a lot of things by candlelight. The comfort we derive from them must be deeply ingrained.
In one of my ancient encyclopedias about Hallowe’en was this. “The date marked the end of summer, or the time when the sun retreated before the powers of darkness. All the dark underworld characters then had their wicked carnival of triumph, when they were supposed to engage in all sorts of malicious mischief. Against them, any kind of light was considered a protection. Hence there arose the custom of building great bonfires on hilltops and carrying blazing torches all around the fields.” “According to an Irish legend, jack-o-lanterns were named for a man called Jack, who could not enter heaven because he was a miser.” This writer goes on to say that Jack couldn’t enter the underworld either, because he had dared to play jokes on the Devil himself. “As a result, Jack had to walk the earth with his lantern until judgement day.”
We carve the outside of the pumpkin, hollow out its interior, and place a candle inside. Something about the light seems comforting during one of the darkest nights in the year.
There are many superstitions about candles. There are many superstitions about mirrors. Together they can spell really bad luck. In the Reader’s Digest edition Why In The World? All You ever Wanted To Know About The World Around You But May Never Have Thought To Ask! was this.. “A European superstition asserts that it is courting tragedy to see yourself in a mirror by candlelight.”
Tonight we’ll share a little firelight. If you don’t have a fireplace, or wood to burn, a candle is the next best thing. Turn down the lights, light a candle or two, and see how your living space is suddenly transformed. I’ll do my best to provide the appropriate soundtrack to accompany the candle’s flame…
Elizabeth Barrett Browning wrote, “I love thee to the level of everyday’s / Most quiet need, by sun and candle-light.”
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Don Jackson
