Candles and wishes. Etymology and traditions.

Have you ever wonder about the meaning of candles in birthday cakes? I wondered about the etymological meaning of candle and because of that I have discovered the history of  Birthday candles. I am going to start with the origins of the word “Candle”.

The Old English word Candle, used in church, is a borrowing of the Latin word Candela, that means ”a light, a torch”, from the Latin verb Candere (To shine); from Proto-Indo-European base *kand- “to glow (to shine, to shoot out light). Candlemass, Old English candelmæsse, is the feast of the purification of the Virgin Mary (Feb. 2),celebrated with many candles, corresponding to Celtic pagan Imbolc.

It is said that the custom of placing candles on a birthday cake was started by early Greeks who used to place candles on the cake that they offered to Artemis – the Goddess of Moon, marriage, and childbirth- and for the celebration of her birth, special cakes were made with the shape of the moon and lit candles on top, glowing like the moon.

In 18th century, Germans, who perfected themselves in the art of candle-making, placed candles on the cake but for religious reasons. They used to place a big candle in the centre of the cake to represent ‘light of life’. The candle is marked with lines and numbers, usually twelve, which would be burned every year.

Scholars also say that the custom of placing candles had its origin in religion, people believed that God lived in the sky. They thought that lit candle helped to send signals and prayers to the god so that they could be answered more effectively.When a person makes a wish while blowing out the lit candle a signal or message is received by God and the prayers would be answered. It is said that if the person is able to blow out all candles in one breath it signifies that the wish would be answered and the person would enjoy good luck in coming year.

So…don’t forget it! make a wish, or two while you are blowing out the candles of your birthday cake! I will do it soon