About such a household item as candles, folk signs can tell a lot. Beliefs were folded in those days when they replaced electricity, still unknown to man. Candles have always been an important part of everyday life, religious services, magical rituals and divination.
Candle flame superstitions
By burning the flame of an ordinary candle lit in the house, you can learn a lot about the energy of the home and its inhabitants. So, if candles burn clearly and calmly in your house, signs promise a quiet life. The flame of a candle near a person is serene - the absence of damage, evil eye and other negative programs.
"The game is not worth the candle" - originally a proverb of gamblers, which displayed the high price of candles of that time.
Is the tongue of fire swaying from side to side? Peace is not to be expected. This is a belief in travel, adventure, bright events. The flame rises in a spiral or describes a circle - a warning. Enemies are making plans, they are going to harm you. Weak light - to the disease.
Crack is a bad sign. If candles crackle near you, they warn of damage. They go out as soon as you get closer - a sign of imminent death, but about such superstitions and the removal of their negativity - a little lower.
Shoots sparks - the arrival of an evil person in the house. Hisses - to disappointment. When a candle smokes, it burns away negative energy. The blue flame warns of death in the house. But the blue fire also indicates that there is a spirit in the room. One version of superstition combines both options. The spirit of a deceased relative has appeared in the house, who will soon take someone with him.
The above knowledge can be used to diagnose your home and biofield. You can also find out the intentions of the guest. Light a candle and follow the flame. You can cleanse the house of negativity by walking around the perimeter with a candle in your hand. Stay where it starts to smoke and the fire becomes restless. Baptismal and wedding candles are watched to find out the future.
How to ignite and extinguish
From time to time it is worth lighting candles in the house. They bring comfort, reconciliation, relieve negativity, quarrels and scandals. Once in every house there was a source of living fire, home. In modern realities, this has become difficult to obtain, while candles are sold in almost every store.
You need to light candles correctly. So, you can not light from one candle more than two others. This brings poverty into the home. The same rule exists for torches or matches. Set fire from the stove fire - to poverty. Don't burn at all? So it will rain.
From a candle, you can light incense or, for example, a sheet of paper with desires or a list of what you want to get rid of. But you cannot smoke from its flame. This portends trouble.
There are many superstitions about extinguishing candles. It is believed that they cannot be blown out. One of the superstitions explains the prohibition by the resentment of the fiery element that it was expelled with the help of the air element. Another - connects it with the sign of spitting into the fire. Extinguish candles with your fingers or special caps. This is especially true of candles, near which prayers or conspiracies were read.
It is customary to blow out only those that are on the birthday cake. It brings good luck to the birthday boy birthday quotes. If he makes a wish at the same time, it will come true.
Accidentally extinguish a candle - to unexpected guests. True, it is not a fact that they will be pleasant.
Goes out - a bad sign
In general, if the candle goes out on its own, it is unfortunately, even fatal. Even if she was burning near a seemingly healthy and full of strength person. But this sometimes means the completion, the death of a certain business, project, relationship.
During the wedding, the young are given a candle in their hands. If one of them goes out in the hands of the bride or groom, a quick death awaits the person. According to other beliefs, the marriage will soon fall apart, there will be a betrayal of one of the partners.
If the candle set for health goes out, this also portends the death of the person for whom it was placed. It is impossible to extinguish such a candle. Therefore, it is supposed to look after the candles set for health until they burn out. They can be removed by the ministers of the church. Healthy candles that have not burned down to the end can be taken away by black magicians for their affairs.
When it comes to a candle set for the repose, the sign changes its meaning to positive. By extinguishing the candle, the soul of the deceased gives a sign that she has found peace in the afterlife.
Extinguished baptismal a candle promises a child a life full of difficulties. There is another opinion on this issue. According to him, the baptism of the child was necessary - it removed the mortal threat hanging over him from the baby.
A dream in which a candle went out most often has the same meaning as a sign. But other events from the dream also affect here. By interpreting them, you can get the full meaning of sleep.
What to expect if a candle fell, broke, candlestick burst
Drop a candle from your hands or, for example, a table - for an imminent wedding. If a candle falls in a church, it promises trouble for the one who dropped it in the near future. If she fell out of the candlestick - expect problems.
If she fell herself, to the bad news. Sometimes predicts an unexpected unpleasant event. Where the candle spontaneously fell, a couple lives, the family is on the verge of divorce.
A broken candle, like broken dishes, should not be used. But a new product can be made from it by melting wax or paraffin and pouring it into a mold. If this is a special candle, for example, wedding, its damage indicates damage. And this means a really serious negative, and not a household evil eye.
A candlestick burst - to the loss of a loved one. But this sign is true only when this could not happen for adequate reasons, such as overheating. She can promise a quarrel, separation, and even the death of a friend or relative. To neutralize the value, the fragments of the candlestick should be thrown out on the street without touching them with your hands.
Beliefs about church candles
According to one of the superstitions, a candle placed for the health of a dead person will not burn. But it's not worth checking. Anyone who puts a candle for the health of the deceased will not live long himself.
The remains of wedding candles are kept in the red corner, near the icons. Whose candle is smaller, he will die earlier. They are lit during difficult childbirth, severe illness of spouses or their children, serious quarrels, problems with conception. ancient wedding omen- the one of the spouses who holds the candle higher will be the main one in the family.
There was a ritual in the old days. If a girl on Pokrov puts a candle in the church before anyone else, she will soon get married. Epiphany and Easter candles have the ability to help women in childbirth, drive out illnesses and reconcile people. And Thursdays - cast out witches and destroy their spells. Inverted church candles are used by black magicians to appeal to the forces of darkness.
Contemplation of the fire of church candles helps to calm down and clear thoughts. It can be viewed both in the temple and at home. You don't need a lot of time for this - ten minutes is enough.
Sometimes it happens that a person's clothes or hair catch fire from a candle flame in a temple. This speaks of the influence of dark forces on him. It is likely that there is damage, love spell or strong evil eye.
Signs to find, give and others
In America, they believe that you can find a drowned person in a pond with the help of a candle. To do this, you also need a loaf of bread - it is supposed to insert a candle into it, and then let it float on the water. A piece of bread with a candle will stop where the drowned man lies.
During Samhain celebrations, or Halloween, burning candles should be on the windowsills. They drive away trouble and evil spirits from the house. For the New Year, it is recommended to put green candles on the festive table. They attract good events. Light pyramid candles for Christmas - attract good luck for the whole year.
Wax candles are not the best gift. Wax perfectly absorbs information, it is used in witchcraft. Therefore, it is not customary to give candles made from it. Paraffin does not have this property, and decorative candles made from it can be given and received as a gift.
What to do if you find a candle? Do not lift or touch it with your hands. It could have been used in a rite, the details of which you know nothing about. It is also not worth stepping over such a candle. Especially if she's lying on the crossroads on foot.
In general, a lot of beliefs are associated with a candle. This is a mystical object, constantly used not only in everyday life, but in witchcraft and religious services. Candles can not only predict the future and remove negative energy, but also help the black sorcerer bring an enemy to the grave.
A church candle is one of the religious attributes, an important part of the service, which should be treated with due respect. Therefore, believers have so many questions regarding the handling of candles. Most often, parishioners are interested in whether it is possible to blow out burning candles.
Candle as a symbol
Once upon a time, candles in temples were used for their intended purpose, namely, to illuminate the premises at night. Therefore, even in the Scriptures, more lamps are mentioned than candles. The Lord Himself told Moses, “Let the lamp burn continually” (Lev. 24:1-4). However, over time, candles have become the same religious attribute as lamps. After all, both of them give light, which is a kind of symbol of faith. Jesus called himself the light of the world (John 8:12).
It is noteworthy that candles began to be lit in churches not only for practical, but also for religious purposes, a very long time ago. The antiquity of this custom can be read in the surviving documents of the Seventh Ecumenical Council, which took place back in 787. Not without reason, many theologians paid a fair amount of attention in their writings to the light in churches, in general, and church candles, in particular. St. Simeon the New compared lit candles with "bright thoughts that should shine" in every person. And John of Kronstadt stated: “The fire of burning candles serves for us as an image of spiritual fire - the Holy Spirit, enlightening our minds and hearts, igniting our souls with the flame of love for God and for each other. The fire before the holy icons reminds us of the fiery love of the saints for God. There is nothing idle or unnecessary in the temple.”
If the candle didn't burn out
So do we have the right to blow out such a symbol of faith, a candle, if it has not burned down to the end? Archpriest Alexander Ilyashenko on the website "Orthodoxy and the World" answered a similar question in the affirmative. According to the priest, after the prayer, the candle can really be blown out, and the next time you can light it again.
In addition, many parishioners must have noticed more than once that the ministers of the church put out the candles themselves before they have time to melt. Archpriest Dionysius (Baku) says that this is done so that the cinder can be removed from the candlestick. If the candle melts completely, then the wax will fill the cell. In this case, other believers will not be able to use it and put new candles.
Cover or blow?
Some people are sure that it is impossible to blow out church candles in principle: they must be extinguished with fingertips or with the help of a special extinguisher device. Allegedly, in the case of blowing out, a person destroys the divine light. That is why doubting parishioners generally prefer not to extinguish the candle.
Meanwhile, the clergy themselves are sure that all of the above is nothing more than ordinary superstition. Priest Vladimir Shlykov believes that candles can be blown out, and everything else is "grandmother's theology."
Priest Anatoly Bobrovsky, answering the questions of viewers on the Spas channel, also confirmed that it is possible to blow out a candle, he himself has been doing this for 45 years. “It is much easier to put out a candle with your fingers than to honor your father and mother or love your enemy. Of course, it is easier to extinguish a candle with your fingers and from this feel like a real Orthodox. And nothing is said about candles in the Gospel, however, just as it is not said there about how exactly it is necessary to extinguish them, ”concluded Anatoly Bobrovsky.
Why did the Australian National Board of Health make such a strange proposal? It turns out that doctors are sure that with this method of celebration, viruses and bacteria are transmitted between children. The parents came up with an alternative option, they will serve the birthday man a special cupcake with candles.I must say that Australians with children met the fanaticism of doctors rather skeptically. However, there is one "but". Candles on a cake can't really be blown out. True, this has nothing to do with viruses and bacteria, it is connected with the element of fire, which is considered to be alive, and the demigod of fire - Agni, who is considered one of the highest intelligent living beings.
When a man blows on fire, it does not matter whether he blows out a match, a candle or something else, with his breath he inflicts an insult on a creature that is superior in development to him. And since fire is associated with vision, then as a punishment for such an insult, a person in the future gets vision problems. Unfortunately, now people do not know the subtle laws of being, and at every step these laws are violated, and then they themselves suffer from it.
It is necessary to cut off the access of oxygen to the fire - for example, cover a candle with some kind of cap, and a burning match can be extinguished with a wave of the hand.
How to easily light a candle in a deep glass? And why can't you blow out the candle? 6 secrets on how to handle your favorite candles to enjoy every second!
1. If you are lighting a paraffin or vegetable wax candle, let it burn longer the first time, at least an hour: this will allow the wax to melt evenly and avoid a hole near the wick. - very tender, they begin to melt immediately and evenly.
2. Before you light a candle, be sure to trim the wick: this way you will avoid an unpleasant smell in the first moments. It is the decayed wick that distorts the smell of your favorite candle and it also creates soot.
3. If the candle crackles, the wick does not burn out, but smokes and chars, the candle must be extinguished and the wick cut off. You can do this with a special wick trimmer. By the way, you can buy
5. If you light, be sure to open the window: inhaling saturated ones is dangerous to health.
6. Sometimes it is difficult to light a candle in a deep glass: if the candle is not new, it can be difficult to reach the wick. In this case, special matches for candles (they are much longer than usual) and a candle lighter with a long nozzle will come to the rescue.
By the feast of the Presentation of the Lord, he compiled a booklet in the form of a "question-answer" about a church candle. After that, they suddenly began to ask questions on this topic, therefore, answering them, I put the text from the booklet:
"The custom of putting a candle in front of an icon is very ancient. Everyone knows that this should certainly be done, but not everyone knows about the reasons why this ceremony is performed. One of the first Divine commands to Moses from the Lord was to arrange a lamp with seven lamps. And after This was often done by candlelight, but the meaning of this is much deeper than just lighting up the place where the services were held.
The action of lighting a candle contains many meanings. The light from it is the Divine light that our Lord Jesus Christ brought into the world. The life of people in sin and ignorance is the twilight that the Savior waves. So the candle with its radiance drives away the darkness around. Pure wax, from which candles are made, is a symbol of pure, unfalse intentions to obey God and serve Him.
Speaking about how to put candles correctly, it is worth starting with the fact that this should not be done mechanically, but with awareness and with a feeling of love in the heart in front of the one to whom the candle is placed. When you buy a candle in the temple, it becomes your voluntary offering, your donation and a symbol of faith and love. Candles are placed for health and peace. "For the dead" are usually placed in the church on a special memorial table - the eve, to honor the good memory of a person who has departed to another world.
Candles "for health" are placed on various occasions: in gratitude for something, to help with a difficult decision, before a serious trip, and so on. Often the question arises: which icons and which saints to put candles? Of course, the main thing is your spiritual mood, with which you light the candle. With good thoughts and love in your heart, you can put a candle for a person in front of the icon of the Savior or the Virgin. If you do not just want to light a candle for a person, but express special wishes, then there is a tradition to do this in front of the icons of certain saints. So, for example, you can put a candle for a sick person and pray in front of the icon of the Mother of God "Healer". If a person has an alcohol or drug addiction, then a candle can be placed on the icon of the “Inexhaustible Chalice”, the holy martyr Boniface, St. John of Kronstadt. Knowing what miraculous properties certain holy images are endowed with, you will know which icons to put candles in order to protect, protect and help your loved ones in difficult times and difficult life decisions. They often light candles for their patron saints. If you have personalized icons in your house, you can light a candle and pray to your Guardian Angel.
On the feast of the Meeting (Meeting) of the Lord in the Orthodox Church, candles are consecrated as a symbol of the burning flame of faith, lit from a meeting with God.
Answers to frequently asked questions:
When should candles be placed in the temple?
- Those who came to the temple should put candles before the start of the service. It is not good to disturb the prayerful mood in the temple by passing candles during the service or pushing towards the candlestick, distracting the worshipers. In the rest of the time from the service, you can put candles if you do not interfere with anyone.
How to place a candle correctly?
- A candle is lit from another, burning, candle, then the bottom is heated on the flame of another candle and placed in the nest of the candlestick. The candle must stand straight. Matches and lighters should not be used in the temple if it is possible to light from other candles. You should not light a candle from a lamp (if it is possible to light it from another candle), so as not to drip wax into the oil or accidentally extinguish the lamp.
Who and how many candles should be placed?
- There are no binding rules on where and how much to put candles. Their purchase is a voluntary sacrifice to God, you decide how much you can donate. From the Gospel story, we know that the Lord appreciated the insignificant, but last savings of a poor widow, as the most significant donation, rather than the large offerings of rich people who brought their surplus as a gift to God (see the Gospel of Mark, chapter 12, verses 41-44 ).
First of all, it’s good to put a candle to the “holiday” (the central lectern - a stand for the icon) or a revered temple icon, then to the relics of the saint (if they are in the temple), and only then - about health (to any icon) or repose (on the eve - a square or rectangular table with the Crucifixion).
Is it possible to put a candle on a candlestick if there is nowhere to put it?
- That's how it should be done. Those who put two candles in one cell or take off someone else's candle to put their own do it wrong. Your candle will be lit by the servants of the temple as soon as a place is vacated for it, and the Lord will appreciate your sacrifice and patience.
Is it possible to hold a burning candle in your hand and stand with it?
- It is customary to stand with lit candles at funeral services, and at some other services. A burning candle must be handled carefully: make sure that the wax does not drip onto the floor (a paper sheet is used for this), and that clothes do not accidentally ignite. The rest of the time it is more correct to put a candle on a candlestick, which is specially designed for this.
To whom to put a candle for the remission of sins? What to read about the remission of sins?
- Sins are forgiven only during the Sacrament of Confession after a sincere, detailed confession of all of them in the presence of a priest and the reading of a permissive prayer by him. A candle is a symbol, in itself it does not free from sins and does not connect with God.
Is it possible to light a candle about an unbaptized or non-Christian?
- It is possible and necessary to pray for the unbaptized and non-Christians with your personal prayer and to light candles for them. You can also ask the priest to pray for them. Only during the main service - the liturgy - only Orthodox Christians are commemorated.
In front of the icon of which saint they usually pray and put candles for the sick, before the operation?
- You can put candles and pray, for example, in front of the icon of the Savior or the Mother of God, the holy great martyr and healer Panteleimon, the holy unmercenary doctors Cosmas and Damian, St. Luke of Crimea (Vino-Yasenetsky). And it’s also right to prepare yourself and call the patient to Confession and Communion, order a prayer service for the sick.
Is it possible to light a candle for the health of oneself?
- Of course, you can put candles and pray for your health. A candle is a symbol of prayer appeal to God. And most of the prayers are written in the first person.
Is it possible to put candles bought in another temple or in a bazaar / shop?
- The meaning of acquiring and lighting a candle, as mentioned earlier, is precisely in offering a sacrifice to God, therefore it is customary to purchase candles in the temple where they come to pray - this is a small sacrifice to this particular temple.
Why do they remove candles that are only half burnt, because we pay money for them ...
- Due to the large number of people who want to put candles, they are sometimes removed not completely burnt out. Also, the servants of the temple put out the stubs of the candle, because. if you let the candle burn out to the end, it will melt and clog the cell. Do not be embarrassed by this, as well as by the fact that the incompletely burned candle was extinguished after the end of the service - the sacrifice has already been accepted by God, and your unburned candle will be lit later, the cinder will be melted down and candles will be made that are placed on the Altar (the central table in the altar, on which the Bloodless Sacrifice is performed) and in front of the iconostasis.
When is incense used and can it be used at home?
- Frankincense is consumed in the Church during most worship services. You can also use incense during home prayer, for this you get a home censer.
How to extinguish a candle correctly?
- You can extinguish either by blowing, or with your fingers, or, for example, with a special tool for extinguishing candles.
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