We all have a stash of tealights somewhere. They’re inexpensive yet atmospheric. A single tealight can burn for up to five hours, making them extremely handy in an emergency. But who invented the tealight, and what’s the story behind its name? We take a closer look at the little candle that could.
What is a tealight?
Everyone knows the humble tealight. Available in plenty of different colours, scents, and sizes, the standard white tealight is 38mm in diameter. Just the right size to pop into one of our beautiful handmade glass votive candle holders.
A tealight is composed of a wick secured to a circular metal pan that’s filled with wax. The design allows the wax to liquify completely once lit. Tealights can burn for anything between three to five hours with a gentle ambient light. And they produce a respectable 32 watts of power, which makes them good at keeping things warm.
Tealights have traditionally used paraffin wax, but some studies have shown that inhaling the fumes can be bad for your health. Soy and electric tealights are popular alternatives and look just as good used in a beautiful tealight holder.
Who invented the tealight?
No one knows who invented the tealight. But its history is a long and fascinating one spanning Japanese teahouses and Victorian country homes.
When it comes to its origins, the clue is in the name. Yes, the Japanese initially used tealights for keeping the tea warm during the Japanese tea ceremony. This zen ritual started in the 12th century and can last up to four hours. Handy little tealights not only mark the passing of time but keep the tea warm.
In the Victorian era, their use became purely utilitarian. The original hotplate, households used them to keep food and pots of tea warm at every meal. Do you still have a fondue set at the back of a cupboard? A tealight is just what you need to keep that molten cheese or chocolate at the perfect dippable consistency.
Why are tealights so popular?
Nowadays, tealights are an affordable way to create mood lighting and fundamental to a shabby chic look. But could our modern love affair with gently flickering tealights embrace something deeper? The ultimate in low-tech illumination, they’re the perfect antidote to our high-tech age.
Tealights are also a close cousin to the votive candles standard in religious ceremonies around the world. In Japanese culture, white candles are part of a daily meditative ritual. And they’re are an essential fire element in the practice of feng shui.
Calming, meditative, and relaxing – there’s no wonder that candle sales have surged during the lockdown period. Whether you use them to create a spa experience in your bathroom or an enchanted summer garden, tealights make for an effortlessly relaxing and romantic mood. As a bonus, soft candlelight causes the pupils to dilate for those ‘bedroom eyes’ that are so appealing.
Using your tealights
To maximise the burn time from your tealights, make sure you keep the wick trimmed. Stand your glass candle holders out of any direct drafts to help them to burn for longer.
Don’t use scented tealights when you have friends round for dinner. Scented candles can clash with food smells, creating an unpleasant fug.
You may have heard that freezing a tealight makes it last longer. It’s true that initially, it may burn more slowly. However, once it reaches room temperature, it will burn at the same rate as non-frozen candles.
Another myth is that you should always blow out a candle. That’s a move best saved for your next birthday cake – blowing out several tealights at once causes smoke, soot and plenty of wax spray. The best way to extinguish a tealight is to use a wax dipper which pushes the wick into the wax and puts it out without any smoke. Doing this has the added benefit of coating the wick with additional wax, making it easier to light the next time.
Tealight holders also make brilliant gifts. Pop a couple of beautiful glass or crystal heart-shaped tealight holders into a wedding present. Or search out unusual votive holders and scented tealights for your best friend as a thank you.
Beautiful ways to show off your tealights
Tealights allow you to get creative when it comes to creating gorgeous displays. Scoop out the centre of an apple, lemon, or orange, and you’ve got a beautiful tealight holder with the bonus of a delicious natural scent.
A tealight inside a wineglass with a homemade shade is an unusual decoration for your next al fresco dinner party. Or drill some holes and perch your tealights inside a birch log for some effortless Scandi chic.
At Pyramid Glass, we have a wide selection of dazzling glass and crystal candle holders that will make even the most humble tealight sparkle. Shop in-store or online today.