Saint Anne Orthodox Church

According to tradition, in Orthodox churches, prayer ought to be accompanied by the light of candles or of oil lamps. The lighting of candles in the Orthodox Church, points to the light of Christ, and to our striving for perfection in Him. A burning candle can symbolize an offering, the offering of our whole being, which should be burning for Christ, leaving behind spiritual light and heat. Building on this understanding, the lighting of candles can become the expression of our faith in God. This is why, in some traditions, it is considered appropriate that, when we encounter God in prayer, either at Church or at home, at weddings, funerals, or baptisms, we state our faith love and commitment to God by the symbolic gesture of lighting a candle.

Why do we light candles for the living and the departed?

For the living, the light of candles is the confession that we are choosing the path to light, turning away from all the darkness of doing, speaking, or thinking evil. Since God is the Light, we should approach Him with the light of our good works.

We light candles for the departed, to overcome the darkness and the coldness of death bearing witness to the One who defeated death with its darkness, coldness and sting, and confessing that we are His, both in the material and in the spiritual world.