The tradition of bayberry candles bringing good luck comes from Colonial times. The legend says if you burn a bayberry candle to the end you'll have good luck in the coming year.
When my sister and I owned the herbal gift shop, selling bayberry candles at Christmas time was a big hit. They smelled really great, and we offered a little "good luck" tag (shown below) to go along with the candle.
The History of Bayberry Candles
History states that the early settlers first made their candles from tallow or animal fat, which was in short supply and often had an unpleasant odor. Then someone discovered the waxy berries on the Northern Bayberry or Myrica pensylvanica. found all over the coastline.
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This native deciduous shrub was also very fragrant. When boiled in water the berries sink to the bottom and the scented wax floats to the top. The fragrant bayberry wax also burned much cleaner than the original tallow based candles.
The only problem was that it took many, many berries, as much as 15 pounds to produce one pound of wax. Therefore, the taper candles were often saved for special occasions like Christmas and New Year's Eve.
Legend of Burning Bayberry Candles
The early colonists believed that burning entire candles on Christmas Eve would bring a year of prosperity and good fortune. Some say this tradition came about due to the difficulty of making the candles and the fact that they smelled so good and burned so well. They were considered special occasion candles.
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Bayberry Poem
"This bayberry candle comes from a friend. So on Christmas Eve burn it down to the end. For a bayberry candle burned down to its socket, brings health to the home and wealth to the pocket."
Click the image above for a full page of the bayberry poem that you can print out and attach to the candle.
You don’t see many real bayberry candles on the market, though some foragers and homesteaders still make them. Instead, you can purchase some bayberry oil and make your own bayberry candles for fun, and “good luck” during the holidays.
Making Bayberry Candles
Supplies
- 4 oz candle tins
- soy wax
- candle wicks
- bayberry fragrance oil
- candle pitcher or large empty coffee can
- wax thermometer
- an old pot
Most of the supplies came from Amazon and candlescience.com. They have a great FAQ section that really helps you determine how much you need.
All in all, I think I ended up spending around $180 and made 60 candle tins, which comes out to $3 a candle. This also included the cute labels I bought from pipsy.com.
Candle tips:
- Use a bit of hot glue to hold the wicks in place in the center of the tin.
- Once your wax melts, add the fragrance oil around 185 degrees F before pouring it into tins.
- I used straws with a slit cut in the middle to hold up the wicks and keep them straight. Some people also use clothespins.
- Once they are completely cool, trim the wicks.
Spoiler Alert: It's a little hard to burn the tin down to the wick on Christmas Eve as a 4 oz tin should burn for about 20 hours, so start burning it early.
These bayberry candle tins worked so well for this project and made a great fun affordable holiday gift.
Bayberry Candles
Equipment
- candle pitcher or large can
- wax thermometer
- an old pot
Materials
- 4 oz candle tins
- candle wicks
- bayberry fragrance oil
Instructions
- Use a bit of hot glue to hold the wicks in place on the bottom of the center of the tin.
- Melt the wax in a wax pitcher or old coffee can in an old pot filled partially with water.
- Once your wax melts, remove it from the heat and add the fragrance oil at around 185 degrees F before pouring it into tins.
- After you pour the wax into the tin use straws with a slit cut in the middle to hold up the wicks and keep them straight. You can also try clothespins.
- Once the candles are completely cool, trim the wicks.
Theresa
Thanks for joining the #InspirationSpotlight party. Shared
Cristina at Ava's Alphabet
What a great idea for homemade holiday gifts! I love the poem and I bet they do smell amazing. Pinned and sharing. Thank you for linking up at Family Joy Blog Link-Up Party this week. We hope to see you back again starting Sunday at 12 EST.
Carly
I've never been brave enough to make candles... I don't know why! lol. When you consider that 3$ / candle is dirt cheap for a nice one, it really does make a person think they should try! Thanks for linking up at share the wealth sunday!
Kim - The Hypertufa Gardener
So cute and I love the poem on the tag. I need to get started on these things for Christmas!
Patti Estep
Hi Kim,
So glad you like this one. It's fun.
Thanks for stopping by,
Patti
Jeanne
These candles are beautiful. And love the packaging. 🙂
Carole @ Garden Up Green
This is so neat! I love this idea and making candles actually sounds really relaxing. Might be a perfect addition to my herb jars for the neighbors this year. So in this herb shop did you make a lot of the products you all sold? Sounds really neat I just love small business and this town we'll be moving too is based on small business which makes me smile.
Patti Estep
Hi Carole,
Our shop was a mix of herbal fragrance and decor and herbal health. My sister was big into healing and I was into gardening and fragrance. We did make some of the products, mostly, wreaths and some sprays but the majority was purchased. So glad you liked the candles. They are fun.
Patti