History of Candles
The origin of candles goes back to ancient ages. Perhaps, candles were always a silent witness to progress made by humankind. Initially, candles used to be major source of light for humans. Now, with invention of electricity and other electrical revolutions, candles are no longer primary source of lighting. Yet, it has continued to remain popular among the masses. Now, it is used for many different occasions and celebrations. Candles denote romance and softness. They are wonderful objects of décor and can be used in numerous ways to enhance the decoration effect.
It is believed that candles were first made by the Ancient Egyptians. They did not use wicks but simple basic candles by using torches. Reeds were dipped into tallow. Candles, thus made were far from appealing but good enough for rudimentary functions. The culture that gets the credit for inventing wicks was Romans. The Roman made proper and extensive use of wick candles. They used it at places of worship during the night and to light homes. Travelers also used to get help from candles at dark. The Roman culture used suet of domestic cattle and sheep to make candles.
During middle ages, some people discovered that beeswax could also be used for making candles. The advantage was that it did not smell bad but the disadvantage was that it was quite expensive. Further on, candles got a new boost in colonial America when it was discovered that bayberry bushes can be used in making sweet-smelling wax that burned clean. But it was an extremely tedious process and soon this method was abandoned.
The arrival of late 18th century made people realize that one of the excellent ways to make candles is to use spermaceti. The term ‘spermaceti’ referred to a wax obtained by crystallizing sperm whale oil and it was available in large quantities. The specialty of this discovery was that it did not smell bad and used to sustain and remain firm even during hot summer. That’s how the modern candles came into the existence. And since then we have continued to enjoy different kinds of appealing candles in human surroundings.
