It was really dark in early American homes when the sun went down. If our ancestors were lucky, they had access to whale oil, kerosene or gas for burning in lamps. But most of the struggling Colonists and pioneers had to burn candles that they made for light. Truth be told, most people went to bed when the sun went down and rose with the sun the next morning.Candles provided an inexpensive, portable light when needed. They were either hand-dipped or molded at home. They were made from raw materials that were readily available. This material was usually tallow, beeswax and/or bayberry.

Tallow was the most commonly used material for candles. At butchering time, the white, dry fat from beef, sheep or deer was saved for future candle-making. It was located right under the hide. Tallow could be melted, and it would harden again after dipping or molding. Tallow candles had to be stored in a way that would not attract rodents, however. Most people hung their candles from the beams in their homes.

Beeswax and bayberry could be used for candles but were much harder to come by. Bees protected their wax with stingers, and bayberries were tiny and hard to harvest. The waxy stuff that surrounded the seed had a nice aroma, though. Often beeswax and bayberry were mixed into tallow for fragrance. In most early homes, tallow was used alone. It was smelly and smoky but accessible and inexpensive.

Candles were the most important lighting in the dark winter months. The constant fire in the fireplace served as a home’s main illumination. Candles were saved for important events and for emergencies. A brightly lit room full of candles was only for the rich.

Colonial-style candles can be made in several ways. The simplest method was to dip a fiber wick into the hot tallow or wax. As it dried, the wax hardened and then was dipped again, adding a new layer of wax. Most people dipped multiple wicks at once, tying them to a stick. By the time several sticks of wicks were dipped, the first ones had cooled enough to dip again.

The dipping was repeated until the candle was the right size. It was then allowed to harden for several days or weeks before being ready to burn.

Another candle-making method was to pour warm, liquid tallow into candle molds. The molds generally had six to 12 tubes in each one. There also were single molds and occasionally molds with 20 or more tubes. An experienced candle maker could make about 200 candles in a day. Some were saved for personal use, and others were traded for goods. Thus, candles could be purchased, even in early times.

I started dipping candles more than 40 years ago and still love to burn the ones I make. My candleholder of choice is a hog scraper candlestick. It gets its name from the scraper that was used to clean the hide of a scalded hog at butchering time. The base of the candlestick resembled this scraper. Now that the days are getting shorter, it’s time to dip and burn a few candles in your home.