Candle Crafts History

Candle-making is an ancient art that has been around ever since primitive times. There is already a big difference, of course, between modern-day candle crafts and their earlier counterparts. They also serve very different purposes now. And whereas candles before were borne out of necessity, today, they are more commonly utilized for decorative purposes, adding fragrance and scents to events such as romantic candle-lit dinners and sauna baths.

While it is not certain when candle crafts were first used, there are clues such as the remains of clay candle holders found in Egypt that are said to date back to as early as 4 BC.

Ancient China and Japan also seems to have made use of candles and candle crafts, supposedly made from wax extracted from insects and seeds. In India, they were made from extracts of boiled cinnamon. In America, oily fish and the back of Cerio trees were used prior to the use of candles. It was the settlers from New England who brought with them the craft candles and candle-making techniques using bayberry extracts, a technique that is still used in making some modern-day candles. This is, however, deemed to be quite expensive.

During the 17th to 18th century, tallow began to be used for candle-making. Tallow is made from animal fat and, unfortunately, emitted a foul odor when it was used. It was, however, quite reliable and worked well.

The dipping process, which is said to have begun in 13 AD, were proliferated by traveller merchants who went from door to door, making taper candles for homeowners – most probably as a return for their hospitality.

Using molds as part of the candle-making process started in Paris in the 15th century. This was used for different types of candles. This improved the candle-making process but there were still some issues that had to be dealt with, mostly with ensuring that the candle burned properly. By the 1830, it seems that a process had been established using molds as well as paraffin waxes, which greatly added to the quality of the candles.

In 1825, the wick was improved and made into a braided wick, to add strength to it, as manufacturers felt it was the weakest part of the candle. To ensure that the candle would remain burning brightly, they focused on improving the wick.

With the appearance of gas and electricity, it could be assumed that candle crafts and candle manufacturing would have started to wane. Far from it, however, candle-making evolved even more. Manufacturing was now easier. However, their purpose also began to evolve. From necessities, they became decorative items. And their added fragrance certainly adds a touch of beauty and zest to a lot of places and a good number of occasions.