Sleigh Light Bayberry Candle Vintage

When the first settlers arrived in the new world, everything was in short supply including candles. Generally candles were made of tallow (animal fat) which tend to smoke and give off an odor which usually turned rancid. Early colonists discovered that the abundant bayberry bush had berries that would give off a waxy residue when boiled. They then collected and saved the bayberry wax that would rise to the surface of the water and make them into taper candles.  This began the tradition of boiling the berries of the bayberry bush only to discover a sweet smelling wax with a long clean burn. One pound of Bayberry wax requires 15 pounds of bayberries, so bayberry candles were only burned on special occasions in colonial times.

To have a bayberry candle was a luxury to be saved and relished. It became the tradition to burn your bayberry candle on Christmas or New Years eve to bring blessings of abundance in the coming year. It is not known who actually came up with the traditional bayberry candle poem. But the tradition continues to this day.

It is believed that you should light your bayberry candle on the eve of your holiday of choice and allow it to burn completely to the nub.