It’s time to put a wax candle in the window

Mary O’Riordan looks at the history of candle-making and describes how it continues to be made, from the precious beeswax produced in the hive.

With the longer nights and with Christmas drawing ever near, it is a good time to start making beeswax candles.

The pleasant aroma and the cosy light of the natural was candles add a very pleasant atmosphere to winter evenings and to the festive dining table.

Beeswax contains essential oils which get released into the air when the candle burns.

As this is a natural, non-toxic scent, the candles release no toxic smoke or tar into the living room.

Most candles nowadays are made from paraffin wax or stearine, or mixtures of both. These substances are industrial products. They are bleached, structured, coloured, and given an artificial scent before being turned into candles. These processes tend to involve chemicals and as these candles burn, various fumes and sooty particles are released into the atmosphere.

However, natural beeswax for candles has been used since ancient times and is the oldest known wax.

The Romans are given credit for making candles with wicks.

They would roll papyrus and dip it over and over into melted beeswax.

They used these candles to light their homes and to light their way when travelling at night and for religious ceremonies.

From the fourth century, the Christian Church has attached a special significance to candles made of beeswax.

To this day in the Catholic Church the Pascal candle, which is blessed during the Easter vigil on Holy Saturday night representing the risen Christ, is required to be made of beeswax.

Altar candles must still have a content of beeswax varying from 51% to 5% by instruction of the local bishop.

In the Middle Ages, candlemakers, known as chandlers even to this day, initially made candles from fats saved from the kitchen or sold their own candles from within their shops.

In the great houses and castles of Europe the craft of the chandler was so important that chandlers had their own office and a high position among the household’s servants.

Though tallow, fat from cows or sheep, was the standard material used in candles in Europe during the Middle Ages, the smell of tallow candles and the manufacturing process was so disagreeable, that it was banned by ordinance in several European cities.

Beeswax on the other hand was discovered to be an excellent substance for candle production without the unpleasant odor, but remained restricted for use by the rich and for churches and royal events, due to their great expense.

Because of the benefits of beeswax candles, many churches and monasteries kept their own beehives to create their own candles. The production of beeswax is essential to bee colonies.

It is used to construct the combs in which the bees raise their young and into which they store pollen and surplus honey for the winter.

Beeswax is made directly from the honey that the bees produce. It takes 13kg of honey to make 1kg of beeswax.

When honey bees are about two weeks old, they develop a special wax-producing gland in their bodies.

This special gland converts honey into a runny waxy substance which then hardens into white flakes of wax on the lower body.

These small flakes of wax are collected by the other bees and chewed in their mouths where pollen gets mixed with the wax giving it a more yellow colour. The bees then mould the wax to make the well known hexagonal comb.

A honeycomb constructed from beeswax is a triumph of engineering.

The hexagon- shaped cylinders fit naturally side-by-side.

Making the cells into hexagons is the most efficient shape for using the smallest possible amount of wax to contain the highest volume of honey.

It is one of the strongest possible shapes while using the least amount of material.

Beekeepers collect the wax when uncapping the comb during the harvesting of honey, and they also collect wax directly from the hive from time to time, encouraging the bees to refresh and rebuild the comb.

Generally, beeswax needs to be cleaned before use and this can be simply done by pouring molten wax in water.

Since beeswax has a low density and floats on water, while the impurities are heavier, it is usually cleaned in the hot water bath, which allows the impurities to be separated.

Beeswax is very flammable, so any heating of the wax involves using hot water baths, rather than direct heat or flames.

The clarified melted wax can be used to make dipped candles or poured into candle moulds, these moulds come in all shapes and sizes and cotton wick is used.

Upon cooling, the wicks are cut from their moorings. Moulded candles need to be slightly heated to permit the removal of the candles.

Candles have come a long way since their initial use. Although no longer our major source of light, they continue to grow in popularity and use.

Today, candles symbolise celebration and ritual, mark romance and soothe the senses.

Look out for pure beeswax candles this Christmas to cast a warm and lovely glow.