Light a Candle for Me
As I write this, my tiny temple is lit with several candles for the dead and dying. A woman I consider to be a mother figure lost her father a few mornings ago. It was expected, but no less painful for the waiting. An old friend lost her soul mate dog just this morning. This one was feared, but not expected. And my own cat -- Remington Steals -- suddenly went from chasing his sister to being weak and debilitated in a matter of minutes just last night. There were no warning signs for us to pay attention to. So candles are lit on all of my altars to light the way for all of us.
But why do we light candles for the dead and dying?
Although the practice is primarily attributed to Christianity, like many things, it's origins are an adaptation from traditions of much older faiths. It is a ritual of custom that transcends time, geography, and culture. In spirituality, it's believed that a flame is one of the few -- if not the only -- light that the dead can see it. It draws them in like moths, illuminates their way, and helps guide them to their next destination. Candles, lamps, torches, bonfires, pyres, and other forms of man-made light have long since been used to honour the gods. No ritual is complete on any path without even the smallest candle lit in tribute.
Once we have crossed over into death, we have entered the realm of the gods, where we are lost. Lamps buried with the dead to provide light for them in the next world have been discovered in the Phoenician city-state of Carthage dating back to the 7th Century BC. Ancient Egyptians left eternally burning lamps within the tombs, while the Greeks would leave small oil lamps outside the tombs and Romans in their catacombs, along with offerings and libations. While both the Celts and Norse used both funeral pyres and barrows to honour their dead, some Neolothic passage tombs in Ireland utilize the most impressive symbol of fire and spiritual connection with the gods -- the sun.
It's early Christianity, with it's collection of rituals taken from Judaism and various pagan rituals, that brings us some the votive offerings we use today. It was argued in the 3rd century that permitting the people to light candles during the day and leaving them to burn into the night in honour of martyrs or at the tombs of the dead should be tolerated as signs of faith, not idolatry. "We are not born, but reborn, Christians," reminds the contra Vigiliantium, which goes on to say, "..it is not the gift that merits reward, but the faith that inspires it." By the 5th century, candles would be collected for blessing by the Pope on Candelmas, and by the 12th century candles would be in regular use in mass, for prayers, offerings to martyrs, and in memory of the dead. It wasn't unusual for a body in state to be surrounded by candles during lamentations or for them to be carried in a procession during a memorial. The rise of the Protestant faiths largely abolished the use of candles for their believers, with a few exceptions, as popish idolatry.
Other traditions are also fond of using flames to commemorate the dead. Similar to Dia de los Muertos, Obon is a Buddhist event in Japan where the dead return to visit their living relatives. Lanterns are hung near the house to guide the spirits to their families where they will be celebrated, and then floating lanterns are placed on a lake or river to help guide them back to the world of the dead. The Taoists and Buddhists of China release miniature paper boats and lanterns onto the water as a part of their ritual to absolve and guide the dead during the Yulan Festival or Hungry Ghost Festival. In various Hindu practices of India the body is cremated and no fire is allowed inside the house until that fire is extinguished. Additionally, a lamp is lit in the place where the person died in order to light the way for their soul. In Haiti, Fete Guédé is their day of the dead and candles are lit not only for the ancestors, but as tribute to their psychopomp Papa Ghede in hopes that he'll be generous and not take them too soon.
Modern pagans, who often gather their rituals from a number of sources -- such as their own cultural backgrounds, family practices, and chosen paths -- use candles to kindle that connection with ancestors and deities. A candle is lit for the element of fire; different coloured candles are lit for each of the Watchtowers; candles of various colours are used in all forms of spellwork and divination. Still, it is the simple white candle that is used to adorn windows, ancestral altars, and scrying mirrors whenever we light one for the dead or dying to guide them on their way. If you ever doubt the power of a flickering flame to illuminate the face of death, simply attend a candlelight vigil in the wake of a tragedy. It is a compassionate gesture that instinctively allows us to feel that connection to those who have moved on and light our own way in the darkness that follows.
