Shedding light on the East Coast's beloved tradition of Christmas window candles

Most Maritimers have never thought twice about the plastic, electric candle decorations that set windows aglow in homes across the region at Christmastime. They're, put simply, a beloved tradition.

But recently, John Batt did think twice — and he did what any young Maritimer would do: he asked his mother.

"I figured it was just some sort of '90s trend, but when I was speaking to my mother about this, she was like, 'No, we did this in Saint John, New Brunswick,' for as far as she could remember … growing up in the '50s and '60s," Batt said.

That's when he knew the traditional decorations would make a great story for his Canadiana Instagram page, @canada.gov.ca, which boasts nearly 70,000 followers

The handle is tongue-in-cheek, as he in no way works for the federal government. Originally from Fredericton and now living in Montreal, he often posts eccentric stories of Canadian history and lore.

One of his latest posts revealed a backstory that for many was close to home, with about 4,000 people hitting the like button, and roughly 300 people responding — all commenting on the little-known, but widely loved, phenomenon of Christmas window candles.

"I'm keenly interested in the kind of things or stories that are right in front of our eyes, but we have never asked the 'why' behind those very things, and so the candles in the windows … that's such a distinct decoration," he said. "I have no memory of a Christmas without them." 

Batt said after that chat with his mother, he began reading sources online that related the practice back to Ireland over 300 years ago, when British colonizers enforced the Penal Laws and outlawed Catholicism.

He said some websites claim the candles were used to signal to priests who were in hiding, that the family inside was a Catholic one. Folklore describes priests knocking at the door in the middle of the night to deliver mass to the family in secret.

Although academic sources confirming this connection are hard to come by, Father Daniel MacLennan of the Archdiocese of Antigonish says the window candles are still used in Ireland today.

He says the candles developed a more charitable meaning as the practice continued into modern times.

"We're saying, 'All are welcome into our home and we accept everyone,'" he said. 

MacLennan says that no matter a person's faith, the candles signify values that are universal. But he has no doubts that the origins of the candles are Catholic.

"Going back to the time of the birth of Jesus, [it signifies] everyone is welcome, and that there is a place for Mary and Joseph. There is a place for the stranger. There is a place for a person without a home," he said. 

Childhood memories

The hundreds of comments on Batt's Instagram post further confirmed his hunch that the window candles decorations were an East Coast phenomenon.

One follower said she still uses the candle lights from her childhood to decorate her own home as an adult. Another wrote from Ireland that the practice is so widespread that for New Year's Eve, at the turn of the millennium, the Irish government sent an electric candle to every home in the country.

Another commenter proved the practice was less common in Ontario when he posted that burning candles in windows is a fire hazard. His comment received 18 responses in objection to his ignorance, clarifying that the candles are "pretend."

Batt says although the decorations are not used in Quebec and Ontario, the practice does travel into the states of New England.

"I've always said that culture travels north and south, despite this idea that we have this unified Canadian identity from coast-to-coast," he said.

"I find the Maritimes have quite a bit in common with New England from a cultural perspective. And this is one of those things, we share this tradition ... as far down into New York and Pennsylvania and some of those other states with big Irish Catholic populations." 

Batt said his own childhood memories are punctuated by these candles at Christmas. "My mom is very classic. She prefers the single cream candle with the white bulb on top," he said. 

After he made the Instagram post, he said it was clear he wasn't the only one with powerful memories of the decor. People wrote to him with memories of nostalgia, and reactions of awe at the hidden history behind the tradition.

Many sent him pictures of their homes lit up with the candles at night. He said overall, many people were grateful he could shed some light on this traditional decoration that marks almost every East Coaster's childhood Christmases.

For Father MacLennan, the historic practice is timeless in many ways, especially for the symbolism they represent. 

"When there's so much turmoil in the world, and war … [the candles say] that we are people of peace, people of joy, people of welcome."

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