Editing Candle (section)

==Use==
{{See also|Ceremonial use of lights}}
[[File:Kosovo-metohija-koreni-duse027.jpg|thumb|Candle lighting in the [[Visoki Dečani]] monastery]]

Before the invention of [[electric light]]ing, candles and oil lamps were commonly used for illumination. In areas without electricity, they are still used routinely. Until the 20th century, candles were more common in northern Europe. In southern Europe and the Mediterranean, oil lamps predominated.{{CN|date=February 2024}}

[[File:CandlesInBuddhistTemple.JPG|thumb|left|Candles in a Buddhist temple]]
In the developed world today, candles are used mainly for their aesthetic value and scent, particularly to set a soft, warm, or romantic ambiance, or for emergency lighting during electrical [[power failure]]s.<ref name="guardian_candle">{{cite web |last1=Ferrier |first1=Morwenna |title=The cult of 'smellness': what's behind the extraordinary rise in sales of scented candles? |url=https://www.theguardian.com/fashion/2018/dec/19/the-cult-of-smellness-whats-behind-the-extraordinary-rise-in-sales-of-scented-candles |website=The Guardian |date=19 December 2018 |publisher=Guardian News & Media Limited |access-date=4 February 2021}}</ref> Candles, however, are still commonly used  in religious and ceremonial contexts. Examples include [[votive candle]]s, [[Paschal candle]]s and [[yahrzeit candle]]s. In the days leading to Christmas, some people burn a candle a set amount to represent each day, as marked on the candle. The type of candle used in this way is called the ''[[Advent candle]]'',<ref>{{cite book | last = Geddes | first = Gordon  |author2=Jane Griffiths | title = Christianity | publisher = Heinemann | page = 89 | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=Wn-38NunUnAC&q=advent+candle&pg=PT98 | isbn = 978-0-435-30693-9| year = 2002  }}</ref> although this term is also used to refer to a candle that are used in an [[Advent wreath]]. 

Symbolic use of candles has extended from the religious to the secular, for example, a [[candlelight vigil]] may be held in remembrance for a person, for a cause or an event, or as a form of political action or protest.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://endly.co/what-is-a-candlelight-vigil-definition-types/|title=What Is a Candlelight Vigil: Meaning, Types & Symbolism|date=August 2, 2023|work=Endly }}</ref> In a social setting, candles are commonly used on [[birthday cake]]s.

In the 21st century, there has been a huge spike in sales of scented candles in recent years.<ref name="guardian_candle2">{{cite web |last1=Wood |first1=Zoe |title=UK sales of scented candles soar as Covid restrictions tighten |url=https://www.theguardian.com/business/2020/nov/10/uk-sales-scented-candles-covid-restrictions-kantar |website=The Guardian |date=10 November 2020 |publisher=The Guardian News & Media Limited |access-date=4 February 2021}}</ref><ref name="guardian_candle" /> The [[COVID-19 pandemic]] and the ensuing [[Lockdowns related to COVID-19|lockdowns]] led to a dramatic increase in the sales of scented candles, diffusers and room sprays.<ref name="wwd_candle">{{cite web |last1=Thomas |first1=Ellen |title=Candles Burn Bright Amid Coronavirus Pandemic |url=https://wwd.com/beauty-industry-news/beauty-features/candles-burn-bright-amid-coronavirus-pandemic-1203556807/ |website=WWD |date=10 April 2020 |access-date=24 May 2021 |ref=wwd_candle}}</ref>

===Other uses===
[[File:KerzenuhrEdited.jpg|thumb|upright|A type of [[candle clock]]]]
With the fairly consistent and measurable burning of a candle, a common use of candles was to tell the [[candle clock|time]]. The candle designed for this purpose might have time measurements, usually in hours, marked along the wax. The [[Song dynasty]] in China (960–1279) used [[candle clock]]s.<ref>{{cite book|last=Whitrow |first=G. J. |title=Time in History: Views of Time from Prehistory to the Present Day |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=1989 |pages=90–91 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=o8Nb5KLBxVQC&q=Sung+dynasty+incense+clocks&pg=PA91 |isbn=978-0-19-285211-3 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150610204616/https://books.google.com/books?id=o8Nb5KLBxVQC&pg=PA91&dq=Sung+dynasty+incense+clocks |archive-date=June 10, 2015 }}</ref>

By the 18th century, candle clocks were being made with weights set into the sides of the candle. As the candle melted, the weights fell off and made a noise as they fell into a bowl.