Candles are integral part of the christmas celebration. Because, Jesus was regarded as 'light of the world', they became connected with his birth so much that today, you can't even picture the christmas without them, can you?
They are symbolic of 'light from the heaven', signifying the sun and its warmth amidst dark and severe winters.
But, there is also a legend behind this lovely custom. According to it, many years ago, an old shoemaker and his wife lived in a small village in Austria and albeit exceptionally poor, but whatever they possessed, they shared it with other people in need. Every night, they kept a lit candle on the window of their small room as a sign of friendliness to any traveller in need of shelter.
As the years passed, the war, inner turmoil and starvation gripped the country. And, every villager suffered heavily from it, except the shoemaker and his other half. For example, the shoemaker could get food and other necessities in the crisis more easily than the privileged people, among other things.
Surprised by this, one night before Christmas, the villagers gathered to talk about this situation and discussed what the shoemaker and his wife did and what they didn't. Some of them raised the point of lighted candle at their window and everybody believed it to be the cause of their well-being. So, they all decided to lit a candle on their windows.
The whole village was bathed in the golden light, that night. Then, Just before the next morning, a messenger came to declare that the war was over and peace had come. The villagers expressed thankfulness to god and pledged to constantly light candles on the christmas eve.
Thanks for reading. I hope everybody is having an amazing time with the mesmerising lights, today.