There's something about a candle's glow that feels timeless.
Maybe it's because pillar candles have been around for centuries, quietly witnessing everything from whispered monastery prayers to Victorian funeral vigils.
They've traveled through cultures and crossed continents, yet their purpose remains surprisingly unchanged. Let’s dig deep into it!
The Monastery Origins: Where Pillar Candles Began
Imagine a medieval monastery in the 12th or 13th century. Monks are diligently working, their hands sticky with beeswax.
While not necessarily making pillar candles at this time, they are refining the art of
candle-making.
Monks had access to beeswax, a cleaner alternative to the tallow (animal fat) that was commonly used for candles, and they often made candles for religious purposes, illuminating chapels and monasteries during long hours of prayer.
The process of obtaining beeswax wasn't easy. Monks would often have to harvest it
themselves from wild beehives or maintain their own bee colonies.
Once gathered, they would melt the wax and then pour it into molds, but the creation of large, freestanding candles, like modern pillar candles, didn’t fully develop until later, particularly in the 16th and 17th centuries.
The earliest candles made by monks were more commonly dipped or molded into smaller forms, but these foundational practices laid the groundwork for the advanced candle-making techniques that would evolve.
Why beeswax, though? It offered several advantages over tallow:
● It burned cleanly, without the heavy black smoke that often filled the air when tallow
candles were lit.
● Beeswax produced a steadier flame, which was crucial during long hours of prayer.
● The faint, pleasant honey scent of beeswax was far preferable to the unpleasant odor of
burning animal fat.
By the 13th century, as candle-making became more organized, candle guilds began to form in cities across Europe, particularly in England and France.
These guilds were not solely focused on the spiritual needs of the church; they also supplied candles for private homes and civic uses.
Still, beeswax candles remained relatively expensive and were often reserved for the church or wealthy families.
Candles remained vital in both religious rituals and daily life, but the pillar candles we recognize today, standing tall without holders, emerged much later as technological advances in candle-making and materials allowed for their development.
Fast forward to today. Maeva's Everyday Essential - Pillar Candle brings back that same
dependable flame those monks perfected. Same steady glow, just easier to get your hands on.
Candles Across Faiths: Light as Universal Language
Here's the fascinating part.
Walk into a church, synagogue, temple, or shrine anywhere in the world, and you'll likely spot candles.
Different religions, different rituals, but the symbolism? Pretty much universal.
Light pushing back darkness. Hope shows up when things look bleak.
Christianity: The Light of Christ
Christians have been lighting candles in worship since around 400 AD. The tradition stuck
because candles represented Christ himself, the Light of the World.
Visit any church during Mass and you'll see them burning, marking the divine presence.
Think about Christmas. The Advent wreath. Easter vigils. Decorative pillar candles show up at Christianity's biggest moments.
Maeva's Golden Christmas Pillar Candle, Red Christmas Tree Candle, and Green
Christmas Tree Candle tap into this exact tradition.
They're made for those dark winter nights when people need light most.
Judaism: Remembrance and Rest
Jewish homes light more candles than most other faiths.
During Hanukkah, families gather around the menorah for eight nights, adding one more flame each evening.
It commemorates the rededication of the Second Temple in Jerusalem, but really, it's about miracles and persistence.
Then there's Shabbat. Every Friday evening, two candles welcome the Sabbath. Maeva's Pillar Candle - Set of 2 fits this ritual perfectly. Two candles, clean white wax, ready to mark the week's pause.
Buddhism: Impermanence and Enlightenment
Buddhists place candles before shrines as offerings of respect, but there's a deeper meaning here. The flame flickers and dances, reminding practitioners that everything changes. Nothing stays the same.
That flickering light also represents enlightenment, knowledge cutting through ignorance.
For meditation, a good pillar candle helps. Something substantial that won't topple over.
Something like Maeva's Nalini Red Pillar Candle - L, which has the size and presence needed for focused contemplation. That deep red doesn't hurt either.
Hinduism: Victory Over Darkness
Diwali turns entire neighborhoods into glowing celebrations.
Homes get covered in candles and oil lamps for five straight days.
The Festival of Lights celebrates light defeating darkness, good triumphing over evil, and
knowledge winning out over ignorance. Whole communities transform into seas of flame.
Victorian Mourning: When Candles Marked Grief
Victorian England took death seriously. Like, really seriously.
When Prince Albert died in 1861, Queen Victoria went into mourning and basically never came out.
She wore black for forty years. The whole nation followed her lead, turning grief into an
elaborate social code.
The Wake Tradition
Back then, nobody embalmed bodies right away.
The deceased stayed home, and someone had to watch over them constantly until burial.
These "wakes" typically lasted 3-4 days, giving distant relatives time to travel.
Candles became essential:
● They masked the smell (not pleasant to think about, but practical)
● Their light kept vigil when mourners needed sleep
● They created a sacred boundary around death itself
Families arranged candles around the body. Clocks stopped at the moment of death. Mirrors got draped in black crepe. Curtains stayed drawn.
The candles burned steadily through it all, their flames the only movement in those still, dark parlors.
Mourning as Social Identity
Widows had strict rules. Heavy black dresses made from crape fabric (the non-reflective kind) for up to two years.
The clothing announced their status from across the street. Don't approach. Don't ask
questions. Give space.
Black fabric shielded them when society felt overwhelming.
The candles did the same thing, marking off zones where grief could exist without explanation or timeline. That darkened parlor with its burning candles told visitors everything they needed to know.
Memorial services still use candles this way. Light a candle, remember someone lost. Some traditions never really fade.
From Sacred to Everyday
Those monastery candles started something that never stopped. The pillar candles burning in homes today carry all that history, whether people realize it or not.
Lighting one for yoga practice? That's got Buddhist roots.
Setting up candles for Christmas dinner? Thank medieval Christianity.
Marking an anniversary of loss? The Victorians understood.
Modern scented pillar candles blend ancient craft with new twists. Add some lavender or vanilla, and suddenly those medieval techniques get an aromatherapy upgrade.
Decorative pillar candles work as art pieces now, not just light sources. But strip away the
contemporary additions, and the core purpose remains identical. Bring light into dark spaces.
Mark moments that matter. Create a pause in regular life.
Lighting a single candle for quiet reflection connects someone to centuries of the same gesture.
Those medieval monks would recognize it.
Victorian mourners would understand it. Practitioners of every faith tradition would nod in agreement.
Pillar candles prove some human needs don't change. The need for light. For ritual. For
something that marks time as sacred instead of just passing.
These simple wax cylinders with their dancing flames keep everyone tethered to shared history, even while rushing toward whatever comes next.
Maeva's collection understands this. These aren't just decorative pillar candles for modern
homes.
They're connections to centuries of meaning, crafted for people who want their spaces to feel like they matter. Check out the full range and find which piece of this long story fits your life.