Twisting trikiri and dikiri

[Michael Astley]

In my own experience, I have only ever seen trikiri and dikiri candles that overlap each other and are somehow fastened at the intersection, whether by a ribbon or by a twist-tie, perhaps then decorated with some flora. However, in photographs and videos, I have seen various arrangements: the candles meeting at a single point and then continuing as a single vertical candle with 2 or 3 wicks, the candles being very short and not meeting at all but merely pointing inwards towards each other, the candles being completely vertical and not overlapping at all, and, most interestingly of all, the candles twisted together, such as can be seen here (http://www.synod.com/synod/pictures/images/1mhordination_01_jpg.jpg).

I am interested in the twisting especially and wonder how it is done. Obviously it involves the application of heat but there must be a particular tried and tested method. Somebody told me that his parish sometimes does this, and that he simply seals the candles into the holders so that they overlap, and then holds them over the hob for a while, then grabs them and twists them.

Is this how others do it or are there other methods? I'm afraid of breaking them.

This may be a small matter but it seems to be a little bit of fun in the preparation for worship and I don't see any harm in it. I'd be grateful for any comments or guidance. Thank you.

In Christ,
Michael

[Cyprian (Humphrey)]

I've seen them tied at the "intersection", as you've described, as well as twisted together. I watched our bishop do it once. It was just a matter of setting the candles in the Trikiri or Dikiri, and then just very slowly twisting them together.

The trick is to do it in either rather warm weather, or with a wide source of heat that one could use. It's pretty much only done with beeswax - I don't think you could do it with paraffin as it'd be too brittle.

That's my two kopecks. Hope it helps.

[Cyprian (Humphrey)]

Just a further thought...

If you wanted to practice this, try starting with twisting some of the thin little candles that people use to light in the services. Go slow. If you go too fast, you'll break the wax. You want to bend it, not break it.

[Michael Astley]

Great stuff! Thank you, Father Cyprian. I brought home some of the little candles today so shall begin practising. :-)

[Olga]

A word of advice: Bishop's candles are likely quite a bit thicker and therefore stiffer than the usual skinny candles you're likely to work with, irrespective of whether they're rich in beeswax or paraffin. Paraffin is soft and malleable, beeswax is stiff, holds its shape when moulded, but is a stern mistress. Unless your church warden is happy for you to experiment with bishop's candles, may I respectfully suggest you stick with simply tying them, rather than twisting them.

Twisting candles would involve subjecting the candles to a high enough ambient temperature (NOT warming them over a flame or most heat sources!) so that the full thickness of the candle becomes soft enough to be twisted without smearing or melting. Not an easy task, unless there's a heatwave on (as so often happens in southern Australia).

[Michael Astley]

A word of advice: Bishop's candles are likely quite a bit thicker and therefore stiffer than the usual skinny candles you're likely to work with, irrespective of whether they're rich in beeswax or paraffin. Paraffin is soft and malleable, beeswax is stiff, holds its shape when moulded, but is a stern mistress.

Thank you for this, Olga. Yes, I'll certainly need to take the thickness into account. Although I would have thought that beeswax would be more pliable than paraffin wax - it is in my experience, in any case.


Unless your church warden is happy for you to experiment with bishop's candles, may I respectfully suggest you stick with simply tying them, rather than twisting them.

:-) I'm afraid we don't have such luxuries as churchwardens. The situation in our diocese is that we have no monasteries, no seminary, too few clergy, with one exception no clergy stipends, no resident bishop, no dean, no diocesan conventions, or such like. I was contacted recently by someone in North America asking for the address and contact details of our "diocesan centre", and my first thought was "What's one of those?" Our churches are few in number and because of the lack of financial resources, most of our priests have full-time jobs, which means that parish life isn't as full as it otherwise could be. Our bishop, who has another diocese, takes an active interest in us and we love him very much but the facts on the ground are that many of the elements that are elsewhere taken for granted as a normal part of church life simply do not exist in most of our churches. We do what we can with what we have and we all have to chip in on the parish level to make things work. A warden is something they have at the cathedral. I don't actually know what role a warden would have in parish life.

Please pray for us.

The trikiri and dikiri candles currently on order are my gift to my parish for our bishop's next visit, so that we do not have to use these (http://miadoradoscxiam.blogspot.com/) again, (which are simply paraffin Easter Vigil candles from a Catholic supplier, held together with twist-ties).


Twisting candles would involve subjecting the candles to a high enough ambient temperature (NOT warming them over a flame or most heat sources!) so that the full thickness of the candle becomes soft enough to be twisted without smearing or melting. Not an easy task, unless there's a heatwave on (as so often happens in southern Australia).

Well, we're in the middle of winter at the moment. In fact, I was able to make a snow bishop (http://www.newmartyr.org.uk/images/PICT1115.JPG) in our garden today, (having great fun in the process, I would like to add). So it's hardly the ideal weather for such activities as candle-twisting. I can see how holding the candles over a flame would simply cause their outsides to melt while the centres remained hard but I'm sure it would be fine if I were to just leave them in a heated room for a half hour or so before attempting it.

M

[Paul Cowan]

Well, we're in the middle of winter at the moment. In fact, I was able to make a snow bishop (http://www.newmartyr.org.uk/images/PICT1115.JPG) in our garden today, (having great fun in the process, I would like to add).

M

Michael,

You forgot his staff. :)

[Michael Astley]

Oh no! I forgot to give him a staff. However, in light of the fact that my neighbours strongly suspect that I am quite mad, I am reluctant to do anything that may confirm their fears.