Ignite A Fire

Candles have been used for more than 5,000 years, yet little is known about their origin.
I read that the first candles were developed by the Egyptians, who used rushlights made by soaking the pithy core of reeds in melted animal fat. However, the rushlights had no wick like a true candle.
The ancient Romans are generally credited with developing the wicked candle by dipping rolled papyrus repeatedly in melted tallow. The resulting candles were used to light their homes, to aid travelers at night, and in religious ceremonies.
Historians have found evidence that many other early civilizations developed wicked candles using waxes made from available plants and insects. Early Chinese candles are said to have been molded in paper tubes, using rolled rice paper for the wick. In Japan, candles were made of wax extracted from tree nuts, while in India, candle wax was made by boiling the fruit of the cinnamon tree.
Today, lighting candles signals celebration, marks romance, defines ceremony, and accents décor. Candles certainly mark milestones in my own life. Playing cribbage under candlelight with Bruce in our first home (which we weren’t suppose to occupy until the next day) or years later, three young boys in tow, candles lit a Jenner vacation house during a terrible rainstorm that knocked the power out.
But what about unlit candles? Do they signal the same? My response is no. An unlit candle takes space – it gathers dust - and is not serving the purpose that it was created to serve.
Don’t be an unlit candle. Ignite. Fill whatever room you are present in with light. Whether it is for celebration, romance, ceremony or merely décor. Glow for all to enjoy.
-Stacy

Intrigued by the history of candles? Read more here at the National Candle Association: http://www.candles.org/about_history.html