Object Historical Context

This candle I got from my friend is owned by me now. The ownership has changed from being a display in a store in England to becoming my friend’s possession and now it’s become my possession. It’s first travelled from CA, USA (where it was first produced), then to England (where it was purchased), to Hong Kong (where the gift was handed over) and to Toronto, Canada (where the candle is now).

From this candle I’ve got from my friend, I’ve decided to expand the understanding of candles in terms of how they can travel through time in relation to bringing communities together and eventually reproduce themselves. Candles have a diasporic meaning too because they can help communities to tie their identities back to their original places as known as homeland.

Candles have been around human’s history for a long time. They have been used in religious ceremonies, meditations and timekeeping etc. The earliest known candle was believed to originate in China around 200 BC, and was made of whale fat. Candles didn’t appear in Europe until sometime after 400 AD, due to largely to the availability of olive oil for burning in lamps. The material used to make candles was changed a few times from the 18^th to 19^th century.

Candles can also be used to connect and strengthen diasporic communities. There is a weeklong celebration held in the US honouring universal African-American heritage and culture, which is observed from 26^th December to 1^st January every year. During the celebration, a candle holder will be lighted up with 7 candles and culminates in a feast and gift giving. It was created by Maulana Karenga and was first celebrated in 1966 - 1967. Therefore, this celebration is an example of how candles have a function to bring communities, in this context, it’s the African- American together and eventually reproduce themselves to be a significant group of citizens in the US. Through lighting up candles during celebration, it helps African- Americans to celebrate their victory in gaining a significant territory in the US as well as remembering where they come from- their homeland a.k.a. Africa (Different parts of Africa).