Browse:Seal in a Candle (Volume 1, entries 2808)
Seal in a Candle
Volume 1, entries 2808. 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 2808
(What kind of a candle is it?) A black candle. Yo' light dat candle and set it on anything dat it will set up on, and to de bottom of dat candle between de candle and de stool it sets on, it's some letters under dere.
(What are these letters on?)
Dey on de stuff whut de candles made out of, de tallow an' stuff - it jes' made into dat yo' see. And den when yo' burn dose candles and yo' git dat letter down dere - de candles is burnt clean down, and when yo' git dat candle burnt clean down, why den yo' kin see dose letters. Yo' kin take dem letters [printed] on a piece of paper, not thin paper, it's kinda of a - ah don't know whut chew call it. It kinda look like glass, but chew kin fold dat - yo' kin fold dat thing in a""v". (Is it what they call parchment? [He does not understand the word - see my comment later for this paper like glass.] Is it a square piece or what?) It's round like a candle. Yo' kin fold it in a square [make two opposite sides of circumference meet] like yo' wanta, des [jes'] any way yo' wanta. It's kind of a doubled-up piece like yo' seen dis little ole tissue paper kind of stuff like dat - bend it any way but it won't break, but it looks like glass. Well, de letters made on dat. An' then yo' take dat and you fold dat in a "v" an' yo' carries it to de cemetery befo' nine 'clock in de morning and bury it n de grave. Well, den dere's no harm dey kin do you in dat way [by burning a can- dle on you], but whatsomever was goin' happen tuh yo' it'll happen to whosomevah burnt dat candle on yo'. [Methods to stop a candle burning against you are given at the end of this subsection.] (Then, if someone was trying to harm me, I would burn this black candle to protect myself. That the idea?) Oh, shure. Now, if somebody don't beat chew dere and git dem letters. Some- time yo' know yo' burn a candle and jest go on 'bout chure business and don't pay it any more 'tention. People coming in dey know whut's dat fo', dey kin git dat candle - dem letters. But yo' jes' take dem candle ef yo' don't wanna do any- thing else with 'em - jes' keep 'em dere or throw 'em away or something like dat. (In other words, if you were burning a candle for me and I knew about it, and I got there when those letters were still there, and I took those letters and.) Yes sir, dat's whut ah mean. [The piece of paper looking like glass happens to be what I suggested it was, parchment, imitation of course; and the letters are not alphabetic but a design, prayer or word written or stamped on this paper. Here we have a seal, a variety of Hands (p.643 and Index). Seals comes in various sizes and shapes; the present one a circular piece of parchment fitting the bottom of the candle. By burning the candle a person releases the seal from the candle stump. Sometimes the can- dle is pressed or molded into the small glass container called stool by informant
(see No.2811, p.806.]