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Without Candles – Pre-historyIn the beginning there was man, woman, fire, water and a whole lot of things trying to eat man and woman! Fire was perhaps man's main form of protection from predatory animals and served to cook their food, light their shelter and keep them warm. This rudimentary need for fire in and around our lives is in our DNA.

It fulfils some form of primeval deep need. Open fires, wood burners etc have become more popular today. Similarly with candles.

It's an animal thing and helps make our homes more cosy and inviting. This article focuses on a brief history of candles, the people who made them and the societies that used them. Candle OriginsCandles as early as 3000 BC have been recorded.

The Egyptians produced candles out of beeswax. Whale fat candles were made by the Chinese during the Qin Dynasty (221-206 BC). Tapers made with wax from insects and seeds, wrapped in paper were produced in early Japan and China. Cinnamon was boiled and the resulting wax used for temple candles in ancient India.

The first century AD saw groups of people in the Pacific Northwest fusing oil from the Eulachon (or “candle fish”), to make a rudimentary candle. Candles have been in use for a long time in one form or another. To 1300 ADIn Ancient Rome, tallow candles were widely used. Tallow is derived from suet, a crumbly animal fat.

The tallow was extremely smoky but was readily available and easy to process into candles.

The smoke was forgiven for the usefulness of the light.

The Romans used these tallow candles everywhere.

They were used at altars, shrines, in temples and were very common within the home. Making tallow candles was very simple; the tallow was put into the melting pot, then poured into molds made of bronze. A trough underneath would catch the excess wax and return it to the melting pot. For the wick, a cord, usually made from the pith of rushes, was suspended from a horizontal rod over the mould when the wax was poured in. 1300 AD – Modern DayFormed in about 1300 AD, the Tallow Chandlers Company of London was granted a coat of arms in 145
6.

In 1484, they acquired a charter. Chandlers were also known as a Smeremongere as they also oversaw the manufacture of sauces, vinegar, soap and cheese. Tallow candles have an unpleasant smell due to their high glycerin content.

The wealthier establishments such as Royalty, churches and rich merchant households used candles made from beeswax.

These usually had a less unpleasant smell.

The odour of the shops that made tallow candles was very unpleasant.

In fact it was so bad that it's manufacture was banned in several cities of the time. Paraffin was invented during the 1800's. Without the horrendous odour and cheaper, paraffin soon became the most used material for candle making.

The mechanisation brought about during the industrial revolution included candle making. Soon cheap candles were available to most if not all households. Candle Making As A ProfessionThe candle maker is known as a Chandler.

In England and France candle making had become a guild graft by the 14th century.

These candle makers (chandlers) went from house to house making candles from fats saved from the kitchen or sold their own candles from within their shops. Latest Market And Candle Making DevelopmentsThe 1990's saw a much higher demand for scented candles.

In response, Industrial Chemists developed Soy wax. Soy wax was a softer and slower burning wax than paraffin and a natural product produced from the soy bean. Palm wax was also developed on the other side of the world. Today, wax blends are continually being developed in the quest for cleaner burning, more sustainable candles that the world craves. Scented candles had an estimated global market value of
2. 5 Billion U. S. Dollars in 2005.

The journey has been long but candles persist today as a symbol of romance and in making our lives more comfortable.
The Author is the owner of Busy Bee Candles, a handmade scented candle manufacturer and retailer specialising in soy wax products. To view our candles, click our scented candle link. Get a totally unique version of this article from our