Candle Lanterns

Candle lanterns are one of the safest ways to use a candle. You put a candle into a lantern, light it and you don’t have to worry about the wind, if you are outdoors, or the dog wagging his tail, if you are inside. And lanterns can be so stylish and decorative today. You can find just about any design or color to match you own taste, décor or mood. For your own safety and peace of mind, never leave the room when the candle is lit.

My favorite candle lantern is a white Moroccan lantern I got recently. I used it on the back porch during the summer with a citronella candle to help deter the bugs, and put just a little light on things. It is fancy, but not overly so, and it blends in nicely with the white wicker furniture we have. I can hang it up or set it on the table. It can be used either indoors or out. I really do love my white Moroccan lantern.

Lanterns are not a new idea. They have been around for centuries. In days long gone, before electric lights, lanterns and candles were the only source of light that people had. In movies and TV shows that take place in the “old west”, you can see them being carried out to the barns to check on the live stock, and used in the cabins to light up the room. It was usually more practical, and cheaper, for people to use candle lanterns than to use oil burning ones.

Back during the revolutionary war, it was considered a waste of material to use any good metal to make lanterns, that was needed to make guns and such. So back then, not to many people had good sturdy lanterns. And street lights when used, were usually buckets of pine pitch hanging from poles. They weren’t on every corner as we have today, just the busiest cross roads. So candle lanterns were very valuable and prized possessions.

Lanterns can have a bad rap though. They say it was Mrs. O’Leary’s cow who knocked over a lantern and started the Chicago fire. But I believe it was actually sparks from a chimney that started it. And besides, if a candle is contained in a lantern, the flame can’t come in contact with anything! Now I don’t recommend that try to start a fire by knocking a lantern over so please do not try it. But just think about it.