The Legend of the Bayberry Candle

When colonial families settled on the east coast, they made their "women's work". Every day was the women of the house for cooking, cleaning and maintenance of the house responsible. In late autumn, as the animals were slaughtered, the women could begin candles for the following year. The average home would require approximately 200 to 400, candles to light up the house for a year. Tallow or animal fat, was collected throughout the year, but slaughter always brought moreGrease on the homepage. As a candle was grueling and smelly work was done, most in one day.

Tallow can be pretty bad after a few weeks. Imagine how much worse it must be after several months! In wealthier homes, the women would make candles from beeswax or bayberry wax, as the flavor was far from it than anything that would leave an animal sweeter.

Women would gather bushels of bayberries and cook for several hours. This heating process allowed the waxy substanceseep from the berries. As the wax has a natural buoyancy, the wax floated to the top of the boiler. When the wax cooled, it was skimmed off much the same way we skim chicken fat from cooled broth today. It takes about 15 pounds bayberries to make one pound of wax. Bayberry wax is inherently brittle and prone to blooms ", which is a white powdery residue that forms on the outside of the candle after several months. Candles were to be stored in a cool place to protect propertyits weak form.

Over time, made their rounds and customs services to relieve women of the chore of making candles. After all, molds and paraffins were developed to replace tallow and customs altogether.

Bayberry has a resurgence in popularity over the last 100 years. Mabel Baker, founder of Colonial Candle of Cape Cod (later PartyLite, a division of Blythe HomeScents, Inc.) made their mark in the early 20th Century making hand dipped bayberry tapers. Unfortunately,The company no longer offers candles made from genuine bayberry wax.

Colonist folklore states that when you are a new light bayberry candle on Christmas Eve, you health, wealth and prosperity in the coming year. The proverb reads:

A bayberry candle burned to the socket brings food to the larder and gold to the pocket.

This holiday, you are looking for real bayberry taper candles with wax. The sweet, grassy aroma is a pleasant holiday scent. Burn a cone on Christmas Eveand ring in the New Year, health, wealth and prosperity!