Brighten up your world…

Homely rituals and wholesome habits are tools we all have at our disposal which help sustain and ground us through challenging times. They are part of a set of ancient rhythms which have been practised for centuries but are in danger of being lost in our fast-paced world. Happily, positive habits are something that can always be developed again as they are something which we carry out so often that we do not need to think about it; tying shoelaces, brushing our teeth, feeding the dog. A ritual is any set of actions performed regularly. Historically, rituals were associated with religious ceremonies and linked with our physical, emotional and spiritual well-being. As candles were often associated with religious ceremonies it may be unsurprising that many of our homespun rituals involve the warm glow of candlelight. Examples of this could be sitting quietly with a steaming mug of tea and a flickering candle at the start of the day, or taking a candlelit soak in the bath at the end of the week.

Candles have been around for well over two thousand years, with the mention of them as far back as in Old Testament Biblical times, in Ancient Egypt and China. The method of creating dipped candles was probably first discovered by the Romans, who would have dipped the wick into liquid tallow (animal fat). This was widely used as it was easily available and cheap. Candles continued to be made with tallow throughout Europe until the 1500’s when beeswax was introduced. This had a much more pleasing fragrance and burnt with less smoke, but as beeswax candles were more expensive they tended to be used only by the upper classes and the Church during this period.

Making candles by dipping the wick into the liquid flammable material is time-consuming, and another landmark in candle-making history came in the 1400s when a French inventor introduced the concept of pouring the fluid into moulds, thus producing the first tapered candles. Wicking has also changed over time and across geographical locations. In Ancient Egypt it is thought that reeds were used, and in the Roman times that rolled papyrus was the fibre of choice. Across Europe, loosely spun cotton was a preferred fibre.

Candles were a necessity for both light and heat during the Middle Ages and candle makers, or chandlers, had their craft guild. They would travel from home to home making candles from household scraps and pieces of fat while others sold candles from their shops. Various advances, including paraffin lamps, made the population slightly less reliant on candles and of course, with the introduction of electric lighting in the twentieth century, candles were no longer needed as a source of light. However, they have far from disappeared and a whole new purpose for them has developed over the last few decades; we now enjoy their gentle glow during mealtimes, the calming ambience they provide and their festivity during celebrations, to name but a few.

Here at Craft Insurance, we are proud of the talented and innovative candle-making businesses that are part of the Craft Insurance family. Many of these began as kitchen table crafts, then moved on, dipping their toes in at local craft fairs and markets, to become fully fledged homespun businesses, employing staff and selling online as well as at markets.

If you are at this initial stage of your candle-making business and are considering leaping to either sell online or face-to-face, you will need to consider insurance for product liability. Insurance for product liability is not a legal requirement, but if you are out and about selling your homemade candles, event organisers may request that you have it in place. It covers you and your business against any claims made by a member of the public that one of your products has caused harm to themselves or their property. You will ensure your candles are of the highest quality but insurance for product liability is all about catching you if the completely unforeseeable occurs. We are a family business and have been insuring your amazing craft businesses for several decades. Pick up the phone or drop us a line and either Naomi or Sam will be here to answer your queries and ensure you have the best insurance package for your unique needs. We offer a personal service with no need to communicate with chatbots or wait in a long queue. We are very proud of all our customers achieve and look forward to hearing about your business.

Back to habits and rituals. Most of us thrive off a level of routine; some like more and some less, but it is helpful to have fixed points of reference within our days and weeks. While we may be unable to do much to restore order to our increasingly chaotic world, we can root ourselves and our families in rhythms which will help stabilise us as the whirlwinds run their course. Many of these will be enhanced by a scented, flickering candle. What about starting your day with a warm drink in hand, accompanied by a mellow candle? Some people use this time to read poetry, some motivational maxims or a faith book. Candles add civility to our evening meals, and even if is just beans on toast, the mere habit of lighting a candle makes a shared meal a little less commonplace. At the end of a long day, a massage candle is also a wonderful way to prepare for sleep and there are so many more brands of massage candles on the market to choose from these days! There’s never been a better time to explore the marvellous range of handmade candles available and create some unique, comforting rituals and rhythms using these pots of molten joy.