What is a Candelabra
What is a candelabra? In basic terms, it is a branched candlestick. Anciently, some candelabras were massive, floor-standing pieces; but the familiar tabletop candelabra, today and historically, is moveable and useful in many settings.
What is a candelabra in the visual sense?
A candelabra can have almost any number of branches, or arms, and usually includes one candle-holding column in the center. So, for instance, a two-armed candelabra will actually support three candles total. Candelabras are commonly made from wrought iron, pewter, and other metals, and crystal.
What is a candelabra’s importance in times before electricity?
During early Victorian times, homes were lit by ceiling-hung chandeliers and wall sconces, both supporting candles. But for most day-to-day activities, people preferred the portability of a candelabra. Once the use of electric lighting became more common, many wealthy homes and establishments still used intricate and richly adorned candelabras as status symbols; candelabras were showpieces on tables and mantelpieces.
What is a candelabra’s place in culture and history?
Pompeian and Etruscan ruins have revealed candelabras made of bronze. Roman temples used towering candelabra of bronze and marble for burning incense. These were the motivation behind Renaissance candelabras used for Italian altars and chapels. In Egypt, the “Raqs Al Shamadan” is a celebratory wedding dance in which a woman balances a candelabra on her head, leading and lighting the path for the wedding procession.
What is a candelabra in religious significance?
During each of the eight days of the Jewish holiday, Hanukah, a corresponding number of candles are lit in the evening—one on the first day, two on the second, and so on. These candles are held in an eight-branched candelabra called a menorah. The menorah symbolizes the power and holiness of the Temple and the miraculous victory during the 2nd century of the revolutionary Jewish Maccabees.
What is a candelabra? As well as functioning as a very important tool of past-century practical living, the candelabra was and is a beautifully crafted work of art. |
