The use of Candles in the Church comes not from Jewish worship of the Old Testament, but from the Romans, where they were used not only for necessary lighting but also for veneration of the gods, of the dead and of the emperor.

From the earliest Christian times, candles were used for evening prayer. They were also used in funeral processions and burned at the tombs of the dead, especially of the martyrs (from the 3rd century); and lighted before relics of the saints and sacred images (4th-5th centuries). From the same period, candles in great numbers were used to give splendour in churches and particularly around the high altar.

From the 7th century there is evidence of candles being used at Mass. They were borne in procession to the altar, carried for the chanting of the Gospel, and placed around the altar. Only in the 11th century did they make their appearance on the altar itself, a feature which became obligatory in the 17th century.

The Church requires that candles used for liturgical purposes be made of pure beeswax. Their symbolism, evocative of the light of Christ, is most in evidence at the Easter proclamation, when the Church is in darkness and the people's candles are lit from the Paschal candle, which is itself lit from the blessed Easter fire. There is an ancient custom of Church candles being blessed on the feast of the Presentation of the Lord - "Candlemas", which falls each year on February 2nd.