What is the Meaning of Lighting a Unity Candle?

The lighting of the unity candle is a relatively newer custom in weddings used to symbolize the coming together of two families--the bride's and the groom's--into a single familial union. While not as common as older traditions or rites, the unity candle ceremony has grown in popularity and is now featured in many wedding ceremonies in the United States and Canada.

Features

The distinctive feature of the unity candle ceremony is that a representative from the two families, ordinarily the mothers of the bride and groom, light two starter (or taper) candles. During the ceremony, the bride and groom light the central unity candle (a large cylinder) together using the taper candles.

Considerations

Like other newer matrimonial traditions, the unity candle has no hard-and-fast rules. In the event that one of the mothers has passed away, the task of lighting the unity candle is often granted to siblings, aunts, or other female members of the family. The unity candle is often an embodiment of the shared personalities of the bride and groom, and while typically ivory white, some may feature runic decoration or embroidered ornamentation. Each married couple has separate traditions for dealing with the unity candle after the ceremony, from lighting it during anniversaries to displaying it throughout the years.

Symbolism

Typically, the unity candle represents the union of two individuals into a single shared entity. Sometimes, the unity candle symbolizes the merging of two separate families, each with its devotion for the bride and the groom, into a single, unified family that loves and cherishes the husband and wife. In both of these symbolisms, the starter (or taper) candles represent the origins of the bride and groom, their families and their singular devotion, coming together for a shared purpose.

Ceremony

Each congregation and distinct family have different traditions, customs or best practices when carrying out the ceremony. Some may suggest that taper candles be extinguished after the unity candle is lit. Others may offer to keep all three candles lit as a reminder of the Trinity in Christian faiths. In all cases, the ceremony is typically customized to suit the particular wishes of the couple and their families.

History

The unity candle and its lighting ceremony has an unclear history, and like many customs and traditions most likely emerged out of practices and innovations tried by different families over the years. Most research suggests that the first instances of unity candle ceremonies can be traced to growing roles of mothers in wedding ceremonies in the United States during the 1960s, with interfaith weddings adopting their practice by the 1970s. However, there is anecdotal evidence to suggest that unity candles and lighting ceremonies have been in use since the "Wedding Candles" of the 1920s and 1930s.

Prohibition

Some churches strictly prohibit the use of unity candles. Among the Latin Rite and in more orthodox parishes of the Roman Catholic Church, it is sometimes considered pagan by local priests or pastors. These restrictions do not stem from theology or catechism, but instead on the widely held suspicion that unity candles find their origin in Wiccan practices, Zoroastrian ceremonies and New Age philosophies. Each church has its own rules and expectations for what is permissible during a wedding ceremony, and couples interested in the unity candle ceremony are advised to confer with their priests and officiants on any applicable regulations.