It is now generally believed that candles originated from torches in primitive times. Primitive people applied things like fat or wax on bark or wood chips and tied them together to make torches for lighting. There are also legends that in the ancient pre-Qin period, some people tied mugwort and reeds into a bunch, then dipped them in some grease and lit them for lighting. Later, some people wrapped a hollow reed with cloth, filled it with beeswax, and lit it.
The beeswax that appeared in about the 3rd century BC may be the prototype of the candles seen today. In the West, for a period of time, bees were kept in monasteries to make homemade beeswax. This was mainly due to the Catholic Church. It is believed that beeswax is a symbol of virgin conception, so beeswax is regarded as the light of purity and is enshrined on the altar of the church. Judging from the existing literature, beeswax was produced in my country at roughly the same time as in the West. Japan introduced this kind of candle from my country during the Nara Period (710-784 AD).
The popularity of candles has gone through a long historical period. "Xijing Miscellaneous Notes" records that during the Han Dynasty, candles were among the tributes paid by South Vietnam to Emperor Gao. Some say that fires were banned during the Cold Food Festival. The king rewarded officials above marquis and high-ranking officials with candles, indicating that candles were extremely rare at that time. During the Southern and Northern Dynasties, candles were slightly more commonly used, but they were mainly used in the upper class society, not for ordinary people's homes. In the Tang Dynasty, it was also recorded that candles were among the tributes in Jinzhou. In addition, officials in the Tang Dynasty also set up an official to manage the palace candles. The Song Dynasty recorded that in the border trade with Xixia at that time, candles were among the items traded. Candles are a tool for foreign trade and foreign exchange, which shows that although they were more commonly used at that time, they were still relatively precious. After the Ming and Qing Dynasties, candles gradually entered the homes of ordinary people, and people used them more in daily life. However, ordinary lamps, such as oil lamps and torches, still cannot be compared with candles.
Compared with modern candles, ancient candles had many shortcomings. Li Shangyin, a poet of the Tang Dynasty, wrote a poem: "Why should I cut the candles from the western window?" Why did the poet cut the candle? At that time, the candle wick was made of cotton thread and stood upright in the center of the flame. It could not be burned out and became charred, so the remaining ends of the candle wick had to be cut off with scissors from time to time. This is undoubtedly a troublesome thing. In 1820, the Frenchman Jean Bachier invented a candle wick made of three cotton threads, which naturally loosened the candle wick when it burned, and the end just tilted to the outside of the flame, so it could burn completely.
But candles still need to be further improved. Their materials are generally animal fats with many shortcomings. The people who solved this problem were Michel Eugene Chevreul and others. . Between June and July 1809, French chemist Michel Eugène Chevreur received a letter from a textile factory asking him to analyze and determine the composition of a soft soap sample they sent. He thought about this letter for a long time and thought: To study soap, it seems that we have to start with raw material oil. In a school experiment with very simple and simple equipment, he studied various oils and fats needed to be used in the saponification process. After a lot of experiments, he discovered for the first time the fact that in all oils, regardless of their source, fatty acid content accounts for 95%, and the remaining 5% is glycerin generated during the saponification process. Through research, he clarified the nature of the saponification process. At the same time, he also made a major discovery: the candles made of grease at that time had glycerin in them, and when they burned, the flames contained smoke and had an unpleasant smell. If stearic acid is used instead to make a candle, it will not only have a bright flame when burning, but also almost no black smoke and will not pollute the air. Scheffler told Joseph Louis Gay-Lussac of his discovery and suggested that the two of them work together to study how to specifically solve this problem. They used strong alkali to saponify the oil, and then decomposed the resulting soap with hydrochloric acid to extract stearic acid. This is a white substance that feels greasy to the touch. Candles made from it are soft and cheaper. In 1825, Scheffler and Guy-Lussac obtained a patent for the production of paraffin stearate candles. The emergence of paraffin stearate candles created a new era in the history of human lighting.
Later, someone discovered large oil fields in North America, and a large amount of paraffin wax could be extracted from the oil. Therefore, ideal candles were popularized and promoted around the world.
In ancient times, when electricity was not yet used, the lighting function of candles was particularly important. But today, with the rapid development of high technology, people generally no longer use candles in their daily lives. Candles are given more emotional colors, such as lovers' appointments, birthday dinners, mourning for the dead, prayers for the future, etc. Especially on anniversaries and festive days, people will light candles. In addition, candles are often used as supplies for physical or chemical experiments.