Paschal Candles

The flame of the Paschal candle symbolizes Christ as light of the world and his presence in the midst of his people. The Paschal candle is sometimes referred to as the "Easter candle" or the "Christ candle." The term "Paschal" comes from the word Pesach, which in Hebrew means Passover. The Paschal candles & Easter candles featured at churchproducts.com include brands such as Cathedral Decal, Exemious, Dadant, Sculptwax, and Fos Aionios. We feature a variety of paschal candles that are at least 51% beeswax and made in the USA by Cathedral Candle, Will & Baumer, Dadant and Emkay.

Questions and Answers about Paschal Candles

What are the candles made of? Paschal candles are made of a variety of waxes and oils, with at least 51% natural beeswax to conform to Church law.

What sizes are available? The most popular size is the 1-15/16" x 36" or 39" candle. Standard diameters start at 1-1/2" and run to 4" with heights ranging from 24" to 60"

In recent years, many churches have switched to larger candles. 3" and 3-1/2" candles have become popular among larger churches and even 4" candles are becoming more popular. The largest candle we have ever made is 5" x 60" !! 

Several reasons for the move to larger Paschal candles:

• • large churches with many baptisms and funerals need a bigger Paschal candle that will last all the way until the following Easter
  • style and taste changes among American churches have led to increased use of the larger candles
  • candlestick makers have introduce Paschal candle stands that are shorter and beefier to accomodate the larger candles

Why are there different designs on the candles? Paschal candles were traditionally fairly simple candles. Slightly larger diameter than Altar candles, and anywhere from 12" to 24" taller on average, they featured simple Cross designs with perhaps a few embellishments. In the mid 2oth century, candle makers starting adding simple decals to expand the available designs and differentiate their candles from other manufacturers.

The Ornamented Paschal was about the most decorated candle available. Used by many Eastern churches for certain Feast days, in addition to its use as a Paschal candle, the Ornamented Paschl featured design elements in relief, along with decals and usually included the Paschal Lamb, wheat, fishes, ornate gold banding and and ornate cross.

Dadant was one of the leaders in establishing the popularity of the hand decorated Paschal candle. Dadant Paschal candles featured embossed designs which were hand-painted in a variety of colors.

The Dadant embossed design candles had, and still have a big advantage over decal or wax relief candles: the candle follower does not hangup in the decal or relief as it burns down the candle!

Cathedral candle was the first company to come out with a line of higher end, hand crafted Paschal candles featuring rich wax relief designs and custom colored wax ornamentation. They started with their Sculptwax collection of candles and later the much higher end (and higher price) Exemious line of candles. Sold through and exclusive dealer network, the Exemious candles are made to order and take about 4 weeks to produce.