The Legend of the Bayberry Candle
Executive Summary about Bayberry Candles by Lisa Robbin
Bayberry candle
The average home would require approximately 200 - 400 candles to illuminate the home for a year. In more affluent homes, the women would make candles from beeswax or bayberry wax, as the aroma was far sweeter than anything an animal would leave behind.
Once the wax cooled, it was skimmed off much the same way we skim chicken fat from cooled broth today. It takes approximately 15 pounds of bayberries to render one pound of wax. Over time, chandlers made their rounds, relieving women of the chore of candle making. Unfortunately, the company no longer offers candles made from genuine bayberry wax.
Colonist folklore states that if you light a new bayberry candle on Christmas Eve, you’ll have health, wealth and prosperity in the coming year. A bayberry candle burnt to the socket brings food to the larder and gold to the pocket.
This holiday, look for taper candles made with genuine bayberry wax.
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