Until the Paschal Candle Is Lit

Paschal Candle Status Unlit and at the font. Learn more.

Contents Introduction What is a Paschal candle? Why is it called the Paschal candle? When do we light the Paschal candle? Details for Easter When and how to light and extinguish during the Easter season When to finally extinguish at the conclusion of the Easter season Where to place the Paschal candle? Funerary Placement Other candles and the Paschal candle Preparation of the Paschal candle Maintenance of the Paschal candle Disposal of the Paschal candle Liquid wax Paschal candles

Introduction

Uncommon in American Lutheran churches until the latter part of the twentieth century, the Paschal candle is now nearly ubiquitous. Indeed, it is the rare congregation in the WV-WMD Synod that lacks a Paschal candle. Common practice surrounding the Paschal candle, however, is not exactly common. In fact, there is great diversity in its use among us. Some of this diversity is within the realm of acceptable adiaphora. Some of this diversity, however, deviates significantly from historic and recommended usage found in our liturgical manuals, so much so that the Paschal candle looses its natural symbolism and ability to excite our piety.

This page does not advocate a procrustean employment of the Paschal candle. This page does, however, advise upon standard usage that has developed over the course of roughly 1500 years.

If you have not reviewed the general information on planning liturgy, worship appointments, etc., please do so at our Worship Aids.

What is a Paschal candle?

In form, the Paschal candle is a large candle with a special set of decorations on it.

In use, the Paschal candle burns during the Easter season. It is burns for baptisms and funerals. It's placement is usually at the altar during the Easter season and at the baptismal font the rest of the year.

Why is it called a Paschal candle?

Because it is the Easter candle, i.e., a candle that has special use during the Easter season.

Paschal is an adjective indicating a relationship to Easter. It derives from the 12^th-century Old French paschal which in turn comes from the Late Latin adjective paschalis derived from the Latin noun pascha, meaning "Easter of Passover." Pascha comes from the Greek πάσχα, again Easter or Passover, which, in turn, comes from the Aramaic and eventually the Hebrew פֶסַח (Passover).

Some have called this the Christ candle. This is a strange appellation that does little more than add to confusion over employment and symbolism. Use of this term should be avoided.

A way to think about pure adiaphora...    With a nod, Ericson turned back to his desk. The two young men saluted, somewhat uncertainly, and made for the door. As Ferraby opened it, the Captain said, over his shoulder: "And by the way, don’t salute me indoors when I haven’t got a cap on. I can’t return it. The proper drill is for you to take your cap off when you come in."    "Sorry, sir," said Lockhart.    "It’s not vital," said Ericson. They could hear the friendliness in his voice. "But you might as well get it right."          — Nicholas Monsarrat, The Cruel Sea (London: Cassell & Co., 1951)

When do we light the Paschal candle?

In term of season, the Paschal candle burns during the Easter season.

Admittedly, some have argued that every Sunday is a little Easter, but the interpretation of the broader church has not used that line of thinking to support burning of the Paschal candle outside of the defined Easter season. In the same way that we refer to a special decorated tree as a Christmas tree, we refer to a special decorated candle as a Paschal candle. Just as a Christmas tree lit up in April would make little sense, a Paschal candle burning in November would make little sense (unless it is for a baptism or funeral). With this in mind:

• The Paschal candle should never be used in conjunction with the Advent wreath.
• The Paschal candle should never be used as a sanctuary lamp/candle.
• The Paschal candle should not be lit outside of the defined Easter season except for baptisms and funerals.
  

In terms of pastoral acts, the Paschal candle burns for baptisms and funerals.

Some have taken to burning the Paschal candle for confirmations and other special services of the church. Outside of baptisms and funerals, the employment of the Paschal candle is not indicated in any liturgical manual.

• The Paschal candle should not be used for confirmation (or any other affirmation of baptism) unless the confirmation is taking place during the Easter season.
• The Paschal candle should never be used as a unity candle for weddings (and should only burn at a wedding if the wedding falls in the Easter season).
• The Paschal candle should not be used for ordinations or installations unless the rite is taking place during the Easter season.
  

Details for Easter

When and how to light and extinguish during the Easter season

The Paschal candle is lit during the season of Easter. This begins with the ceremonial lighting of the Paschal candle at the beginning of the lucernarium of the Easter Vigil. Where the Paschal candle is large enough (usually only in cathedrals), it burns continuously (i.e., 24x7) until it is extinguished at the end of the season. As this is neither practical nor safe for most of our settings, it is recommended that the first person in the door of the church before a service should light the Paschal candle, and the last person out should extinguish it (rather than including it in the lighting and extinguishing of the other candles). It should even be the case that any time the sanctuary is in use (e.g., a choir practice, a meeting, or when the space is available for prayer) the same practice is followed.

Be sure to read the section on the placement of the Paschal candle just a little further down this page.

When to finally extinguish at the conclusion of the Easter season

When to finally extinguish the Paschal candle has been a bit of a moving target since its restoration among Lutherans.

• The Venerable Way: A venerable Lutheran tradition had been to finally extinguish the Paschal candle during the reading of the Gospel on Ascension Thursday at the point when Jesus ascends into heaven. The symbolism of the burning candle emphasized his earthly presence from the time of the Resurrection until his ascension. This is in no way condemned. It is a fine tradition, and any who wish to continue it should do so. Of course, this may be relevant only for those who hold an Ascension Thursday service.
• The More Modern Way: Since the introduction of the LBW, the recommendation in our liturgical manuals has been to keep the Paschal candle burning throughout the Fifty Days. This would suggest continual burning through the Feast of Pentecost; extinguishing the candle after the last service of the Feast of Pentecost has concluded would make sense under this rubric.
  
• The Weird Way: Some few places burn the Paschal Candle through the Feast of the Holy Trinity. This is not indicated in our liturgical manuals and is discouraged.
  
• The Way That Should Not Be Taken: Some places keep the Paschal candle lit all year round. This is nowhere near our liturgical norms and should not be done. The Paschal candle (as its very name indicates) is not lit outside of the Easter season except for baptisms and funerals.
  

Where to place the Paschal candle

During the time of the Paschal candle's Easter burning, except for the Easter Vigil, the Paschal candle's position is at the altar after which it returns to the font. During the Easter Vigil, it's place is near the altar, but where exactly will sometimes be determined by the layout of the chancel. Those holding an Easter Vigil should refer to the Manual on the Liturgy—Lutheran Book of Worship or its LBW equivalent for guidance.

Funerary Placement

If there is a funeral, the burning Paschal candle may be used in the funeral procession and then placed at the head of the casket once it has reached its place. If not used in the procession, pre-position the Paschal candle (unlit for safety reasons) near where the casket will rest so that it may be easily moved to the head of the casket, lighting the paschal candle after it has been put at the head of the casket.

Other candles and the Paschal candle

The lighting and extinguishing of candles for the services of the church is a matter of local custom. Some congregations have rather elaborate rituals for doing so. Others struggle to find acolytes. If lighting and extinguishing the altar candles has become a challenge, a congregation might follow the advice found in the Manual on the Liturgy—Lutheran Book of Worship: light the candles well before the service begins and extinguish them well after the service ends, doing so decorously but without pomp and circumstance. This can be done by ushers, the sexton, the altar guild, the pastor, etc., vesting to do so being optional. Two other notes about the lighting and extinguishing of candles:

• The practice of lighting the taper holder from the last altar candle and carrying a flame out of the sanctuary at the end of the service is not indicated in any liturgical manual; this practice should be discontinued.
• If the Paschal candle is burning, the other candles may be lit from it.

Vespers, however, is a different matter. The lucernarium at the beginning of the service is a highly ritualized lighting of the candles. See the Manual on the Liturgy—Lutheran Book of Worship for details.

Preparation of the Paschal candle

As mentioned above, the Paschal candle features decorations, and these decorations are unique to the Paschal candle. A cross is marked on the candle with a majuscule alpha (A) above the cross and a majuscule omega (Ω) below. The alpha and omega alludes the two places in the Book of Revelation in which Christ says of himself that is the alpha and omega:

• I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty (Rev. 1:8).
• I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last (Rev. 22:13).

In the quadrants created by the cross, the digits for the current year appear.

At the five points of the cross (the intersection of the cross and at each of the ends), incense is affixed. The points represent the wounds of Christ (head, each hand individually, both feet together, and side). Historically, these wounds were marked with grains of incense pressed into the wax; today it is more common that a wax nail impregnated with incense is used.

The actual preparation of the Paschal candle may be done well before the Easter Vigil begins. It may also be done as part of the preparatory rite associated with the lighting of the New Fire, i.e., after the New Fire is lit, the candle is prepared in the sight of the worshiping assembly around the New Fire. Historically, this preparation involved taking a stylus and incising (cutting into the wax) the symbols as the following is recited: "Christ, yesterday and today; the beginning and the end; Alpha and Omega, His are all times and all ages; to him be glory and dominion, through all the ages of eternity. Amen." It is more common today that the Paschal candle has been purchased with wax appliques already in place and decals for the date. Even if this is the case, one may still trace one's fingers over the symbols while the appropriate lines are recited. N.B.: it is not necessary to rush the recitation of the words or the associated actions. Caveat: if one plans to incise in the historic manner, practice with a dummy candle.

As for the incense grains on the points of the cross (or wax nails if provided), they are not affixed to the candle in advance. The Exsultet includes a rubric for the insertion of the incense on the points. According to the Manual on the Liturgy—Lutheran Book of Worship, this is the more ancient practice. One may, however, include it as part of the preparation of the Pascal candle immediately after the incising of the date and accompanied with the words, "By his holy and glorious wounds, may Christ our Lord guard us and keep us. Amen." The grains/nails are inserted in the following order: head, side (at the intersection of the cross), feet, right hand (on the left point), and left hand (on the right point).

Following the incising of the Paschal candle, it may be lit from the New Fire. While one may attempt to light the Paschal candle directly from the New Fire, it is easier (and perhaps safer) to use a taper, lighting the taper from the New Fire and then lighting the Paschal candle from the taper. An assisting minister should perform the actual lighting while the presiding minister says, "May the light of Christ, rising in glory, dispel the darkness of our hearts and minds."

Maintenance of the Paschal candle

A congregation that vigorously employs the Paschal candle as described above will likely find it growing significantly shorter as the season wears on. Many such congregations that use a follower on the Paschal candle may find the follower halted by raised wax appliques (if any). This problem can be resolved by cutting away portions of any appliques or otherwise shaving down such appliques so that the the total diameter of the candle accommodates the follower. Some Paschal candles use a decal. This may create similar problems that can be resolved with a razor or utility knife.

Disposal of the Paschal candle

Traditionally, a new Paschal candle is acquired for each new Easter Vigil. It was custom in England to melt the retired Paschal candle down to make funeral candles for the poor. Today, a congregation may consider several options.

• A retired Paschal candle may be re-purposed as a processional candle for vespers by stripping all appliques, decals, etc. If the Paschal candle has been inscribed, the inscriptions should be shaved down.
• A retired Paschal candle with adequate length may be given to a congregation or other ministry that lacks sufficient funds to acquire a Paschal candle.
  
• A retired Paschal candle may be melted down to make devotional candles.
• A retired Paschal candle may be melted down to make emergency candles for use in disaster response.

Some congregations will find the expense of a new Paschal candle every year prohibitive. If the Paschal candle is of sufficient length, if may be possible to change the date. Many purchased Paschal candles use decals for the date and provide digits for more than one year. In other words, save the decals and keep them in a place where you can find them.

Liquid wax Paschal candles

To save expense, some congregations have acquired liquid wax Paschal candles. These are essentially permanent candles, i.e., candles not tied to any particularly year. They are ill-suited for use in the Easter Vigil, but there seems to be a correspondence between congregations that do hold Easter Vigil and those with traditional Paschal candles. While everything said about the preparation of the Paschal candle and the rituals surrounding Easter Vigil do not apply to a liquid wax Paschal candle, the rubrics for use do.