Orthodox Christians are usually very sensitive to everything related to the church. The parishioners treat candles and other goods bought in church shops with extremely respect. And this is quite understandable, since the ritual of consecration fills the object with heavenly grace, marking it for the service of the Lord.
It is popularly believed that in no case should even the packaging of the sanctified things be thrown away. Of course, it is most correct to discuss any questions concerning the ritual aspect of religion with your confessor. If there is no such mentor, you will have to ask the advice of more knowledgeable Christians. As a rule, objects that have fulfilled their purpose are collected, and then attached to a cleansing fire. It is recommended to collect ashes, ash and everything that remains after burning and then bury it in the ground. Moreover, the burial place should not be disturbed by either people or animals.
Candle behind imagery
They do different things with cinders from church candles. They are burned along with the rest of the waste, or stored behind images. Most believers return the collected cinders to the shop. In the temple, they are either burned in a special oven, or melted and poured into the cheapest candles. Many cathedrals have special boxes for collecting cinders.
In city churches and cathedrals, such boxes can rarely be seen, the whole point is that novices or mothers most often in the evenings after the service remove the candles themselves, regardless of whether they are burned out or not. Collected candles are recycled, because almost all parishes have not only church shops, but also workshops. The novices also clean the cups on the candlestick from the spilled wax, they usually do this with the help of a small spatula and a brush with which they brush off the wax. Collecting it is not accepted.
Maundy Thursday tradition
However, it is still customary to burn candles to the end. There is no rule prohibiting lighting a candle several times. And when it burns out, you can put a new one there. On major church holidays, for example, many parishioners light a candle in the church, and then, after the service, extinguish it and carry it home. This custom originated a long time ago. On Maundy Thursday, Orthodox Christians gathered for all-night prayer, during which the Thursday candle was lit. She was endowed with truly mystical properties. On Friday morning, a lit candle was carried home, in every possible way protecting the flame from wind and bad weather. If the candle goes out, trouble will surely happen, and if you managed to keep the fire and light the lamp from it - this year there is nothing to fear.
With this candle, the owner went around the whole house to protect its inhabitants from the intrigues of the evil one. So, the stub of a candle was kept all year long, until next Thursday, lighting a fire on the biggest holidays or the most difficult times. On the eve of a new holiday, paper was lit from the flame of a cinder, and the stove was lighted with it, sanctifying the whole house.
