Wedding traditions with candles and lamps
Candles and lamps bring light to a day of beginnings.
Candles and lamps bring light to a day of beginnings. They mark a threshold, bless the household and join two flames, and in many weddings a lamp is the first thing that is lit.
Lamps in South Asia
In Kerala the nilavilakku, a traditional oil lamp, stands before the couple at the thali-tying. In Tamil Nadu the kuthuvilakku is lit, and in the Hindu wedding of Bali and Nepal lamps and incense are used. In Sikh and Hindu homes lamps, diyas, line the path for the wedding procession.
Candles in the West
The unity candle, in which the couple use two small candles to light a larger one, became popular in the United States in the twentieth century. In Orthodox weddings the couple hold candles through the service, and in Catholic churches candles are lit at the altar. In Ukraine and Russia the couple hold candles in a church ceremony.
Written by the EveryShaadi desk with AI assistance. Background on Candles and lamps (symbol). Customs differ from place to place and family to family. If this is your tradition and we have it wrong, tell us.
🇷🇺 RussiaEastern Orthodox marriage
The Byzantine Rite ceremony where a priest crowns the couple to seal their union in Christ.Rite · Engagement and betrothal
🇺🇸 United StatesUnity candle
A modern wedding ritual where a couple lights a central candle from two tapers to symbolize their union.Rite · The ceremony
🇬🇷 Greece and 1 moreEpithalamium
A poem or song written to celebrate a bride as she goes to her wedding chamber.Performance · The eve
🇵🇱 Poland and 6 moreKolachколач (kolach), калач (kalach), kołacz, colac, kalács
A braided or ring-shaped bread that marks weddings and major holidays across Eastern Europe.Feast custom · Engagement and betrothal
🇨🇳 China and 3 moreMarriage coin charm夫妇和合花钱 (fū fù hé hé huā qián)
Numismatic amulets from East Asia that carry wedding blessings and fertility symbols.Adornment · Engagement and betrothal
🇳🇴 NorwayEsbat
A monthly Wiccan gathering held around the moon phases for ritual and communityBlessing · The ceremony
🇮🇳 Madurai, IndiaGoluBommai kolu (Tamil), Bommala Koluvu (Telugu), Gombe Habba (Kannada)
A tiered display of dolls and figurines arranged in South Indian homes during the Navaratri festival.Feast custom · The weeks before
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Epithalamium: Lorenzo Lotto, Public domain, source
- Eastern Orthodox marriage: VitVit, CC BY 3.0, source
- Unity candle: Dvillasmil, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Marriage coin charm: Scott Semans, CC BY 3.0, source
- Kolach: Лобачев Владимир, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Golu: Ksiva21, CC BY-SA 4.0, source