The purpose and symbolism of the candle
“Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven,” says the Gospel (Matt. 5:15–16).
During prayer, at a festive meal or in time of trouble, one may light a candle at home.
The candle has several symbolic meanings:
By paying for it (if we do not make it ourselves), we express our willing readiness to offer to God and His church some part of our labour.
A candle lit before an icon is a symbol of warmth and fiery love for God; it is an expression of faith and of prayer offered to the saints.
The softness and pliancy of the wax are an image of repentance and readiness to obey God, while the purity of the candle expresses the purity and undefiledness of the one who offers it.
The bee gathers candle wax from many kinds of flowers and plants, which symbolically expresses the gathering of all the faithful into one Church and their being kindled with divine fire, and also the gift offered to God by all creation.
A lit candle is a symbol of the transformation of earthly man into a new creation by the love of God and His boundless grace. A person's earthly life too should be like a burning candle, which burns itself away and lights the way for others.
A candle melts and vanishes from the heat. So our earthly life too burns to ashes through the evil of the times. The life of some of us goes out without trace, while that of others shines, gives warmth and rises up to heaven, where true riches await their owner.
Every believer should imitate a burning candle. All his thoughts, words and deeds should be laid open before God and dedicated to Him alone.
And finally, a burning candle is a symbol of the Church that has conquered hell, and of her everlasting triumph.
Archbishop Nicholas, “The Rule of a Christian's Life,” Tbilisi, 1998
The church candle is a symbol of the believer's prayer. It is made of wax — the purest and most fragrant substance, obtained from flowers. It signifies the purity and sincerity of our offering to God.
Every church service is performed amid burning candles and lamps, and we see a great variety of spiritual and symbolic meaning in their lighting — as a sign that “God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ” (2 Cor. 4:6), “enlightening the world with spiritual light” (cf. John 1:9; 8:12). The candles burning in churches are also an expression of the worshippers' reverence, their love and their sacrifice to God, and at the same time of the joy and spiritual festivity of the Church. By its burning the candle reminds us of the unwaning light that gladdens in the Kingdom of Heaven the souls of the righteous who pleased God in this world.
In the Old Testament, when the first tabernacle of God was made — the tabernacle of witness — “the services were performed using lamps, as the Lord had commanded Moses” (cf. Exod. 40:4, 25).
After the example of the Old Testament Church, the lighting of candles and oil lamps became an unchanging part of the worship of the New Testament Church.
The Acts of the Apostles tell us: “…and came unto them to Troas in five days… And upon the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread… there were many lights in the upper chamber, where they were gathered together” (Acts 20:6–8).
The mention of a great number of lights speaks not only of their use for lighting, but of their spiritual meaning too.
On the basis of the ancient Christian custom of bringing in a lamp at the evening service, the present order of Vespers developed historically — namely the evening entrance and the singing of the most ancient church hymn, “O Gladsome Light,” in which is expressed the Christian teaching about the spiritual light that enlightens man, and about Christ, the source of grace-filled light. The order of Matins is likewise connected with the idea of Christ's uncreated light, made manifest by His incarnation and His resurrection from the dead. “With us no service is ever performed without lamps,” says Tertullian (2nd century), “but we use them not only to drive away the darkness of night — with us the Liturgy is also celebrated by daylight — but in order to depict by burning candles Christ, the uncreated Light, without whom we would wander in darkness even at noon.” “In all the churches of the East,” writes Blessed Jerome (4th century), “when the Gospel is read, candles are lit even in the brightness of the sun — likewise not to drive away darkness, but as a sign of joy, so that under the form of visible light we may see that Light of which it is said in the psalm: ‘Thy law is a lamp to my feet, and a light to my paths’” (Ps. 118:105).
“Lamps and candles are an image of eternal light, and they also signify the light with which the righteous shine,” says St Sophronius, Patriarch of Jerusalem (7th century).
The fathers of the Seventh Ecumenical Council decree that “in the Orthodox Church the holy icons and holy relics, the Cross of Christ and the holy Gospel are honoured with the offering of incense and the lighting of candles.”
Blessed Symeon of Thessalonica (15th century) writes that “candles are lit before the icons of the saints because of their good works, which shine in the world.”
Orthodox people, while in church, enter into communion in prayer with the Lord, the Most Holy Mother of God and the saints, and light candles before their icons. A candle lit before an icon is a sign of our faith and of our hope in God's grace-filled help, which is always given abundantly to all who turn with faith and prayer to the Lord and His saints. A burning candle is a symbol of our strong and everlasting love for God.
The church Typikon contains directions as to when and where candles are lit at Vespers, Matins and other services (Typikon, ch. 24, 25). The worshippers not only light candles before the icons, but at particular services themselves stand holding lit candles. In the Typikon for the service of 26 September (the commemoration of St John the Theologian) it is written: “After the reading, candles are given to the brethren, before the beginning of the hymn ‘Praise ye the name of the Lord.’”
On the feast of Palm Sunday, at Matins, after the reading of the Gospel and at the blessing of the palms, we hold lit candles in our hands together with the palms, which are a symbol of the resurrection. By this we express the greatness of the feast and the unwaning light of our faith in the resurrection and eternal life.
On Great Friday, at Matins, during the reading of the 12 Gospels of the holy Passion, the worshippers light candles; they live through the Saviour's sufferings and their fervent spiritual love for Him.
On Great Friday at Vespers, when the Epitaphios is brought out of the altar, and at Matins of Great Saturday at the burial of Christ, those standing in the church hold lit candles before the Epitaphios, as a sign of love for the Lord, crucified and buried, and of faith in His radiant resurrection.
On the feast of holy Pascha, from the moment the procession around the church begins — in memory of the myrrh-bearing women, who ran with lamps to the Saviour's tomb — the faithful hold lit candles until the end of the bright Matins, as a sign of the greatest joy and spiritual celebration: “Christ is risen; let us rejoice for ever.”
At services celebrated by a bishop, special candles have been used since the earliest times. The faithful reverently bow their heads when the bishop blesses the people with the dikirion (two-branched candlestick), signifying the two natures of Jesus Christ, divine and human, and also blesses them with the trikirion (three-branched candlestick) — in token of the Most Holy Trinity. Besides this, the primikirion (here: a candle) is lit, with which the subdeacon stands at the Royal Doors opposite the staff-bearer. Candles are also lit when the holy mysteries are performed. The mystery of Baptism is performed after the priest has vested. “The priest comes in with the child, puts on white priestly vestments and cuffs, and all the candles are lit…”
Three candles are fixed on the font, as a sign that baptism is performed in the name of the Most Holy Trinity. The one being baptised and the godparents, when going round the font, and also at chrismation, hold lit candles. By this they express joy that a new member of the Church is entering the saving bosom of the Church, into eternal union with Christ.
At the mystery of betrothal the priest “makes the sign of the Cross over their heads three times and gives them lighted candles.” “Those who wish to be crowned come into the church, the priest going before them with lighted candles.” They hold lit candles as a sign of their fervent love for each other, and express the wish to live with the Church's blessing — brightly, purely and in love.
At the performing of the mystery of Unction, by ancient custom, a candle is lit and fixed to the vessel for the oil, in token of the action of the gifts of the Holy Spirit. The sick person, if possible, and the worshippers hold lit candles. By this they express faith and hope that the grace of God will be poured out on the sick person and that he will be healed in soul and body.
When a departed person is laid in the church, four candles are placed around him in the form of a cross, as testimony that the departed was a Christian. At a panikhida the worshippers stand with lit candles, as a sign that the soul of the departed has passed from earth into the Kingdom — into the unwaning divine light.
As a sign of communion in prayer with the departed, when they are commemorated at a church service, by generally accepted custom we light a candle on the kanun (memorial table). A table with a cross on it is also set up, on which offerings are placed in the name of the departed — first of all candles and koliva.
A few more services might be mentioned at which candles are used with a special meaning. At the Vespers after which the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts begins, the priest, after the first Old Testament reading, makes the sign of the Cross with a lit candle and the censer and says: “The Light of Christ illumines all!”
Candles are also lit before the Cross, the Epitaphios of the Saviour and the icon of the Mother of God, and before the Holy Gifts at the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts. After the services of the eves of Nativity and Theophany, a large candle is set in the middle of the church, and we hear the festal hymns sung by the clergy and the singers — the troparion and kontakion of the feast.
The “Instructive Notes” (see the Service Book) especially warn those celebrating the Liturgy: “…nor may the Liturgy be served without candles, not fewer than two or three, and this only in great need. If a priest neglects all these things and counts them as nothing, he sins mortally”…
On the table of preparation a candle or lamp is lit before the Holy Gifts when they are carried from the altar to the table of preparation.
At the Liturgy, after the words “Holy things are for the holy,” a lit candle is placed before the Royal Doors, so that we may reverently bow to the holy Lamb, and to remind the communicants that they, like the wise virgins of the Gospel, should meet the Lord with the fear of God and with the burning lamps of faith.
Candles lit at the blessing of the waters on the feast of Theophany are often kept by Orthodox people as holy things. Many also reverently keep candles lit at Matins of Great Friday (the remembrance of the holy Passion) and at the bright Matins of Pascha.
Some keep their baptism and wedding candles together with the baptismal gown and wedding clothes, so that they may later be laid with them in their grave.
Translated (into Georgian) by Davit Tefnadze and Luka Khundadze
