1 December: Candles

In the French Revolutionary calendar, today was the Day of wax. Since 35% of the US sales of candles occur during the Christmas/holiday period, what better time to present 10 facts about candles:

1. The word candle comes from the Latin candēla, meaning torch, which is in turn from candēre, to shine. A candle maker is called a chandler. That derives from the Old French word “chandelier”, a type of light fitting which, before Electricity, would have used candles.
2. Candles have been around a long time. It's thought the first ones were made by the ancient Egyptians around 3000 BC. They made them from reeds dipped in fat. The Romans made candles similar to the ones we use today from around 500 BC. They would give them as gifts at the festival of Saturnalia.
3. Before Clocks were invented, candles were a handy way to tell the time after dark when a sundial would be useless. Notches in the candle would tell you the time. It was even possible to make a rudimentary alarm clock by sticking a nail in the candle at the required time so it would fall out and make a noise. The Song dynasty in China (960–1279) used candle clocks. Related to this idea are Advent candles, which are marked with notches marking the days from the start of Advent until Christmas. Typically they form part of a table decoration and are burned by the required amount after the evening meal.
4. The idea of putting candles on a cake originated with the Ancient Greeks, who would do it to make the cake look like a glowing moon in honour of of Artemis, the Goddess of the hunt and the moon. Candles on birthday cakes with one candle for each year of the person's life began in Germany in the 1700s at a celebration called a Kinderfest.
5. Candles today are made from paraffin wax. In the 13th century they were made from animal fat, or tallow. Chandlers would go from house to house collecting kitchen fat which would have been collected for that purpose. Needless to say, these candles were rather smelly. Beeswax became more popular because it didn't stink, but it was expensive so only the rich could afford them. Candles have also been made from spermaceti from sperm whales, and there is a type of fish called a candlefish, or Eulachon, which has such a high fat content that the whole fish could be used as a candle.
6. A candle works by drawing its fuel, melted wax, up the wick, which is today usually made from braided Cotton, by capillary action towards the flame. The flame warms the air around it, which rises and is replaced by cooler air. This is called a convection current and it's what gives a candle flame its characteristic shape. The process depends on gravity, so if you burn a candle in space it doesn't happen. NASA scientists have revealed that candles burned on the International Space Station would have spherical flames.
7. Several sources claimed that most people don't burn candles correctly. The most common mistake, it would seem, is not burning it for long enough the first time it's lit. The wax has a memory, so that if you don't let the candle burn until the wax has melted all across the top, it will only burn as far as it did the last time, and this is what causes a tunnel effect. The first time you light a candle, you should let it burn long enough for the whole top layer of wax to become liquid which takes about an hour for every inch wide the candle is. If the wick smokes, it means it's too long. The answer to that one is to put the candle out and trim the wick. It should be about a quarter of an inch (about 6mm) long. There is no truth in the rumour that freezing a candle before you light it makes it last longer, and it could damage the candle. Chances are you put them out wrong, too. Blowing a candle out is a no-no because it causes soot and smoke and you could blow hot wax into someone's eye. According to the European Candle Association, the best way to put out a candle is to use a candle snuffer, which puts the flame out by depriving it of Oxygen.
8. Candles feature in worship and celebrations in many religions. They play a major part in Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights. Candles are lit in front of statues of the Buddha to represent the light of his teachings. The Jewish Menorah features seven lights, each representing a branch of human knowledge. In Christianity, there are votive candles, which are lit to represent prayers. A votive offering is one that a person leaves at an altar for their god or gods, one they will not take away with them when they leave. Candles used in the Catholic church must contain at least half beeswax because the Bees which make it are virgins, just like the mother of God.
9. The 15m tall Peace Candle of the World was made in Oregon in 1971, outside Brock Candles factory. They covered an agricultural silo in 20 tonnes of red wax and inserted a wick down the centre. The factory burned down in 1990: bizarrely, the candle survived. It required a 60 foot match to light it. This is not, however, the tallest candle ever. Nobody has yet managed to beat the 24.38 metre-high candle made for the Stockholm Exhibition in 1897.
10. The SI unit, the candela, which measures the intensity of light gets its name from candles. It was based on an older measurement called candlepower. A standard candle, made to exact specifications, would emit light to the intensity of one candlepower. The historical candlepower is equal to 0.981 candelas.

A Very Variant Christmas

Last year, Jade and Gloria were embroiled in a bitter conflict to win back their throne and their ancestral home. This year, Queen Jade and Princess Gloria want to host the biggest and best Christmas party ever in their palace. They invite all their friends to come and bring guests. Not even the birth of Jade's heir just before Christmas will stop them.

The guest list includes most of Britain's complement of super-powered crime-fighters, their families and friends. What could possibly go wrong?

Gatecrashers, unexpected arrivals, exploding Christmas crackers and a kidnapping, for starters.

Far away in space, the Constellations, a cosmic peacekeeping force, have suffered a tragic loss. They need to recruit a new member to replace their dead colleague. The two top candidates are both at Jade and Gloria's party. The arrival of the recruitment delegation on Christmas Eve is a surprise for everyone; but their visit means one guest now faces a life-changing decision.

Meanwhile, an alliance of the enemies of various guests at the party has infiltrated the palace; they hide in the dungeon, plotting how best to get rid of the crime-fighters and the royal family once and for all. Problem is, they all have their own agendas and differences of opinion on how to achieve their aims.

Not to mention that this year, the ghosts who walk the corridors of the palace on Christmas Eve will be as surprised by the living as the living are by them.

Themes 

Christmas; superheroes; reunions; parties; life choices; shocking surprises; mistaken identity; kidnap and rescue.

Reasons not to read it

• It's a bit short. You could probably read it in one sitting.
• Most of the action takes place at a Christmas party. In a palace.
• It's all about Christmas but there doesn't seem to be a schmaltzy moral message.
• There are a couple of babies and some small children in it - and one nearly gets eaten.
• Santa appears in it, but he isn't really Santa.
• Superheroes. Again.
• Not to mention a whole bunch of super-villains. Again all new ones and not the ones we know from Marvel or DC.

Available from Amazon and Amazon Kindle