Ever since I first read about them as a child, I have been curious about bayberry candles. Even as a youngster, I was curious about herbalism, and wildcrafting; about how our ancestors lived off the land until farms and towns were established. We had an old coal furnace with forced air in our home, and it was difficult for me to fathom how a berry could have anything burnable about it.
This year, decades and decades later (ok, about 40 years later) I found a source for 100% bayberry candles and was able to indulge my curiosity.
I adore them.
The package was wrapped in tissue paper and the spicy sweet scent drifted to my nose before I ever saw them. They feel smooth and firm, subtly textured by the hand-dipping process.
Their soft green shade reminds me of mistletoe leaves. As they burn, the scent becomes less apparent, and the light shining through the shelled wax on top changes from a winter hue to the first promise of golden-green spring.
As with most things grown wild, there is a certain amount of folklore attached to bayberries. The one I like best today is the poem 'Bayberry candle, burned to the socket brings health to the home and wealth to the pocket.'
Here's a link to more info, from Mrs. Greig's Herbal at Botanical.com.
Oh, and I found the candles at Lehmans.com
1 comment:
Health to the home and wealth to the pocket sounds just great to me!!!
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