I think Mom sort of fell into her collection of candelabras. She certainly didn't plan to amass so many of them, as well as numerous single candlesticks and pairs, but her laundry room cupboard was filled with them long before she moved to her final home at Gardenside.
It all started when we moved to the Hotel Mary-Etta in Fairbury. The warren of basement rooms included numerous storerooms, but one, in particular, contained boxes and boxes of household items that had been left at the hotel by previous tenants, including a former manager whose family was Jewish.
Mom and Dad worked long hours in that basement room in their attempt to clean out the clutter. They checked each box, ultimately throwing some stuff in the trash, while donating much of it to charity. In true "waste not, want not" fashion, they re-boxed some things they thought might be useful someday, keeping a few of the best items for themselves. That included several candlesticks and one or two beautiful candelabras.
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| One of Mom's menorahs |
Mom immediately identified the candelabras as menorahs, which are seven-branched candelabras used as significant symbols of Judaism, representing the seven-day creation, the Sabbath, and the eternal light of God. The original seven-branched candelabra, usually referred to as a lampstand in the Bible, stood in the Tabernacle that the Israelites carried with them as they wandered in the wilderness for 40 years, and now is a symbol of Jewish history and faith.
In Exodus 25, verses 31 and 39, God gave these instructions to Moses when he was telling him precisely how to make the lampstand for the Tabernacle: Make a lampstand of pure, hammered gold. Make the entire lampstand and its decorations of one piece—the base, center stem, lamp cups, buds, and petals...You will need 75 pounds of pure gold for the lampstand and its accessories.
That original lampstand must have been heavy and huge!
A seven-branched candelabra similar to a menorah was used in medieval Christian churches to represent the light of God and the seven churches mentioned in the book of Revelation. Even now, candelabras are used in some Christian churches to symbolize the light of God's truth, as well as Christ as the Light of the world. John 8:12 says this: Jesus spoke to the people once more and said, “I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won’t have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life.”
If we put aside religious symbolism for a moment, we find that candelabras were historically used in royal courts and formal events, signifying luxury, wealth, and status. Candelabras were common before electricity, so their current use can also evoke a strong sense of history and the past.
Once Dad realized that Mom was fascinated with candelabras and other candlesticks, he started watching for them at the auctions he frequented. When Dan and Laura and I were sorting through the nooks and crannies in Mom and Dad's house, we found three menorahs, one for each of us. I'm sure that's what Mom (and Dad) had intended. We divided up most of the other candlesticks, also giving some to our respective daughters, and I brought home most of Mom's candles.
Other than one five-branched candelabra and a couple of pairs of candlesticks that were given to Bill and me as wedding gifts, nearly all of my candelabras and candlesticks used to be Mom's. I know I have more than most people do, just as Mom did, but displaying them brings back plenty of memories, so I will continue to have some of them sitting out as I rotate them with the seasons, just as Mom used to do. Besides, even with ample electricity, a candlelit table remains the standard for elegant entertaining and genuine, refined hospitality--as long as I remember to light them.
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| These pink candles, and the candelabra, were part of Mom's collection. |
As a side note, I learned in my research that the word, candelabra, is the correct plural form of candelbrum but, due to changes in English language usage over time, candelabra is now used most often as the singular form of the word, while candelabras is the popularly used plural form. So, if you cringed at my use of these words, just recognize it as my attempt to keep up with the times.
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