Browse:Color Symbolism (Volume 1, entries 2778–2789)
Color Symbolism
Volume 1, entries 2778–2789. Source context: THE DOCTORS AT WORK: REPORTS FROM LAYMEN → SHRINES: ALTARS - CANDLES - SAINTS; NEW ORLEANS AREA → (2) CANDLES. Entries listed under this heading in the source volume.
Entries
Entry 2778
Well, you burn a blue candle for success. You burn a white candle for prosperity and purity. You burn a green candle - it's de spiritual [spirituals or spiritual people] suppose to burn these green candles. You burn 'em three days and pray and fast. Dat's to go and heal de sick. Then the red candle is fo' victory - jes' lak ef yo' wanta overcome somethin', yo' burn dat so many days, see, nine days. And yo' put chure wishes up under dat candle, yo' know.
(How do you put them under the candle?)
Yo' write chure name, whatever yo' want done - yo' write it on a piece of paper, parchment paper and set it up under dere while it burns.
(What do you do about black candles?)
De black candles yo' burn 'em fo' death. Yo' burn 'em nine minutes. If yo' burn 'em fo' evil, yo' burn 'em nine minutes, so they say. Yo' burn fo' nine minutes at nine 'clock.
(Nine o'clock in the morning?)
Nine 'clock in de morning or nine 'clock at night.
(Do you have to do anything else with these besides burning them?)
They say they generally roll 'em in some kind of cayenne pepper or something.
[See later, Rolling Candles.]
Entry 2779
Now, you can take a white candle, if you want luck. You can take a white candle and three loafs of sugar, and you light it. Set [it] with a name. And you put a piece of paper under it [candle] with the name [this is setting it] and you light it and make your wish. That's for luck.
(What name do you write on that?)
Write whoever you burning it for - write your name or my name, anybody name you burning it for. That's for luck. Now, a red candle.
(A red candle?)
That's a white candle. Now a red candle is for blood.
(Well, how do you handle that - a red candle for blood?)
You take the person name, whoever you wanta get in trouble, and you write the name on the candle all around - up and down on the candle - and you burns it and makes a wish, bad wish. That's for blood, you see. Now a black candle, that's to kill you.
(A black candle is to kill you. Well how would they handle that?)
Well, they take the black candle and they write your name on there, see. And they takes and they cuts that top piece off - like this the top piece, well, they cut that off, and they take and turn it upside down and shape it [make a wick at the bottom end] and they light it upside down. Well, you liable to walk out your door and get killed most any minute.
(Do they use green candles, and blue and yellow, anything of that sort?)
Well, they burn them to different saints for luck.
(Now, are candles burned at any special time or just any time?)
Any time you can burn a candle if you got your saints and you believe in your saints. Well, different days you burn different candles.
(What do you mean by different days you burn different candles?)
Like Mondays, you burns a white candle. Tuesday you burn a green candle. Wednesday you burns a yellow candle or blue candle. But red and black ain't for no luck - that's for undermining work.
(When do you burn those candles? On any day?)
You burn the red candle any day.
(And you burn the black candle any day, too?)
Any day too.
Entry 2780
You get a black candle, that's a danger candle. You burn a red candle, that's good luck. And you burn a white candle, that's happiness - peace and happiness in your home, you see. And there ain't nobody can harm you then, if you believe in them.
Entry 2781
Said a pink candle fer good luck. Jest burn it, all ah know. Say a black candle means death to a person. A red candle is fusses, quarrels and fights. Dat's all ah've heard about dat.
(What about a white candle? Would a white candle do anything?)
Ah've nevah heard. Ah 'pose dat brings peace.
Entry 2782
Red candle's fo' love, and green candle's mostly fo' money, and yellow candle's fo' affectionate of [affection in] the home, and white candle's fo' peace and harmony and also, jes' like if anybody be real sick de last time, dey burns a white candle and reads a piece in de Bible sometime.
(What about black candles?)
Black candles - people kill you with black candles.
Entry 2783
Black candles represents death. White candles represents peace. Red candles represent blood.
(Do you know how they are used?)
Yo' burn the black candles late at night fo' death an' yo' burn six or seven candles fo' death. White candles bring peace. Yo' burn sometimes three candles. Sometimes yo' burn six of dem candles. Dat brings luck to yore home. But also yo' burns in- cense. Church's incense is good incense tuh burn wit de candles fo' tuh make the home happy.
Entry 2784
Black candles - them is directly fo' enemies. De blue ones is fo' luck and de white ones are fo' luck. And dese here red ones is for whiskey drinking
[to reform a drunkard].
The informant’s whiskey-drinking wording is followed by a separate editorial explanation.
Entry 2785
Well, you take a black candle and burn it - that black candle is death.
(Well, how would you do that?)
Well, you take black candle - you can take a black candle and burn that on your name. Well, that's to kill you. (Well, how do you mean, burn it on the name? Just write your name on a piece of paper?) Just write your name on a piece of paper and put it underneath that black can- dle. And a white candle is for luck. And also a red candle is for luck. But that black candle, that's a sign of death.
The informant calls a black candle a sign of death, contrasting white and red candles described as for luck.
Entry 2786
Ah've heard tell of 'em burning candles. Ah've heard tell of 'em burn- ing whut is known as de black candle in the house an' dey says that would keep it from being rented - make it very, very unlucky. Heard of 'em burning candles - red fo' bad luck or white fo' good luck. An' there is a gold candle dat chew kin burn that will bring money into the home. [For another meaning of gold, see 2776, p.797.]
Entry 2787
If yo' wanta git a job, yo' find out his name an' take an' go tuh de drug sto' an' buy yo' a red candie an' a yellah candle an' a white one. Yo' writes his name on dem candle an' burn dem three candle. One candle - de white candle is fo' success and de yellah candle is fo' money. The red candle is fo a wish fo' a job.
(Do you burn these all at once?)
Burn all of 'em all at once. An' again at five a'clock in de mawnin' say yore wishes.
(How long do you burn them?)
Burn 'em till de' burn up - let 'em burn up themselves.
Entry 2788
Take an' write a person's name on a candle - yo' see dese big yellah candles, an' write a person's name on a candle an' light dat candle an' let it burn, so dey says. Dat's fo' doin' 'way wit a person. Dat will kill 'em. They will dry up an' go off lak dat. [Person turns yellow like a leaf and drys up.]
The informant reports, 'so dey says', a candle practice meant to do away with a person; the yellowing explanation is bracketed editorial matter.
Entry 2789
When yo' biddin' [= inviting, Matt. 12:9.] customers, yo' should burn incense. Yo' should use yellah candle - burn yellah candles in de mawnin', soon in de mawnin' roun' six an' five a'clock in de mawnin'. Yo' supposed to burn one up - it's certain things yo' burn candles up fo'. Yo' burn de yellah candle - dat's supposed tuh make yo' have success. An' yo' burn yore white candle fo money an' yo' goin' in business, an' yo' use chamber lye, a little yore chamber lye an' sugah fo' tuh draw yore trade. Yo' takes an' mops wit it, see. Mop yore floor right good wit a little chamber lye an' sugah an' lye, an' mop yore flo right good. [Yellow meaning success also means money.]