Browse:Mistake Puts Out Candle (Volume 1, entries 2942)
Mistake Puts Out Candle
Volume 1, entries 2942. 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 2942
De white candle - ah want to tell yo' dat's fo' peace. Well, yo' put five Christian names - five people that chew think are Christians. Den yo' put five dead people name on de candle that are Chris- tians. Well, quite natural, those dead Christians is working wit de live Christians an' make dem de- vote their time an' dere energy an' do everything in their power they possibly can to make yo' happy All right. On a Friday yo burn red candles.
(How many?)
Just one.
(You burn these five white candles?)
No, tiiey aren't five. Those are five names.
(How do you put those names on the candle?)
Yo' would write them this way [demonstrates]. You write them with a pin - a straight pin.
(That's with the white candles. Now what about Friday with the red candles?)
The red candles on Friday, yo' use de same tactics; but dis time yo' use five peoples names you are in debt to, and den three dead sinners. An' yo' git dose three dead sinners, they are on there to whup these people that chew owe to who tantilize yo' 'bout chure bills.
(Now, what time of day do you burn those? Any time of day?)
No, yo' light them befo' sunup an' let them burn there till they go out - they go out theirself. Or if yo' write on them wrong or do the wrong thing with it, well it will go out.