![1719 - Salzburg - Stiftskirche St Peter - Flowers and grave candle](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b4/1719_-_Salzburg_-_Stiftskirche_St_Peter_-_Flowers_and_grave_candle.JPG)
A grave candle, grave lantern, death candle or a death lantern is a type of
candle
A candle is an ignitable wick embedded in wax, or another flammable solid substance such as tallow, that provides light, and in some cases, a fragrance. A candle can also provide heat or a method of keeping time.
A person who makes candle ...
or
lantern, which is lit in memory of the dead or to commemorate solemn events. The form of a lantern is commonly used in
Christianity
Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. It is the world's largest and most widespread religion with roughly 2.38 billion followers representing one-third of the global pop ...
, whereas candles are more common in
Judaism
Judaism ( he, ''Yahăḏūṯ'') is an Abrahamic, monotheistic, and ethnic religion comprising the collective religious, cultural, and legal tradition and civilization of the Jewish people. It has its roots as an organized religion in t ...
(where they are known as the
Yahrzeit candle
A yahrzeit candle, also spelled yahrtzeit candle or called a memorial candle, ( he, נר נשמה, ''ner neshama'', meaning "soul candle"; yi, יאָרצײַט ליכט , meaning "anniversary candle") is a type of candle that is lit in memo ...
).
The tradition has been adopted by Christianity from the earlier
pagan tradition.
[
The grave lanterns, known as ''znicz'', are a common tradition in ]Poland
Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populou ...
.[http://www.tvp.pl/bialystok/aktualnosci/spoleczne/zaduszkowe-tradycje/8984919]
See also
*Candlelight vigil
A candlelight vigil or candlelit vigil is an outdoor assembly of people carrying candles, held after sunset in order to show support for a specific cause. Such events are typically held either to protest the suffering of some marginalized group of ...
*Lychnapsia
In the Roman Empire, the Lychnapsia was a festival of lamps on August 12, widely regarded by scholars as having been held in honor of Isis. It was thus one of several official Roman holidays and observances that publicly linked the cult of Isis wit ...
*Votive candle
A votive candle or prayer candle is a small candle, typically white or beeswax yellow, intended to be burnt as a votive offering in an act of Christian prayer, especially within the Anglican, Lutheran, and Roman Catholic Christian denominations, ...
References
External links
Ljusen på gravarna och andra ljusseder : nya traditioner under 1900-talet
Candles
Christianity and death
Death customs
Light fixtures
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