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Extinguishing the slava candle: custom, superstition, and prayer

The speaker responds to a viral video that his son sent him, which claimed to teach the correct way to extinguish the slava candle during a family feast day. The video stated that the candle must burn until the last guest departs, then be put out with blessed wine while the smoke is read to predict whether the coming year will be good or bad.

The speaker rejects the practice of reading smoke as superstition without any foundation in the Church, likening it to reading a Christmas log. He observes that customs differ by region: some people extinguish the candle with bread, others with wine. The speaker recommends dipping the wick in melted wax to extinguish the flame so that the candle can be relit later for prayer before the slava icon on subsequent days.

He notes that once the candle is extinguished with wine, water, or similar liquids, it cannot easily be relit. The speaker invites viewers to share how the slava candle is extinguished in their own area.

Key moments

  1. The speaker's son sent him a video asking whether its instructions on extinguishing the slava candle were correct.
  2. The video stated the slava candle must burn until the last guest leaves.
  3. The video instructed extinguishing the candle with blessed wine and then reading the smoke to determine if the year would be good or bad.
  4. The speaker says reading smoke has no basis in the Church and is plain superstition, like reading a Christmas log.
  5. Customs differ across villages and cities; some extinguish the candle with bread, others with wine.
  6. The speaker recommends dipping the candle in wax to extinguish it so it can be relit for prayer before the slava icon on subsequent days.
  7. Once extinguished with wine, water, or similar liquids, the candle cannot easily be relit.
  8. The speaker asks viewers how the slava candle is extinguished in their region.
16 opinions in the discussion 16 participants, 1 replies to each other The opinion with the most support God help you, father. We cross ourselves, blow, and put the candle out, the way it's supposed to be done. Read the discussion
69 comments at the source Original on Instagram

Discussion · 16

Opinions are anonymous retellings of real comments from the original discussion. The same colour marks the same participant.

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  • opinion#3097

    God help you, father. We cross ourselves, blow, and put the candle out, the way it's supposed to be done.

    • opinion#3099

      It really needs to be explained to people that a blessed cake should not be thrown in the trash, and neither should koliva or blessed wine! A lot of people do that!

  • opinion#3093

    We light the candle before noon, after coming back from the Holy Liturgy. We put it out at 8pm, sometimes 9pm. Crossing ourselves, we extinguish it either by blowing on the flame or pinching out the wick with our fingers. Glory to God.

  • opinion#3096

    We don't put it out at all, it burns down to the end. Republika Srpska, Semberija and Majevica.

  • opinion#3089

    There are all kinds of customs, but someone should explain how it's actually done properly 👏👏👏

  • opinion#3094

    I've never heard of putting out a slava candle with wine or any special ritual way, good grief. I cross myself and just put it out normally, and leave it so I can light it again when needed.

  • opinion#3095

    I learned this from my late grandfather: shield the candle flame with your hand, blow, and put the candle out. Before and after putting out the slava candle we cross ourselves. That's how my grandfather did it, my father did it, and that's how I do it.

  • opinion#3090

    God help. I would really like for the SAME standards to be established in our Orthodox church too, instead of relying on that folk saying 'as many villages, as many customs'. We as the flock should get PROPER instructions and information from YOU as our shepherds, because you're the ones who are supposed to teach us. A while ago I came across a profile where a priest explicitly says that after the slava, the candle should be taken to the church and lit there to burn down completely. Now you're saying it can be lit multiple times?! I'd honestly love for instructions to be issued in the Serbian Orthodox Church that apply to all Orthodox Christians in Serbia. Thanks in advance.

  • opinion#3088

    In a small coffee spoon, a little of the wine that was served with the wheat. Since it's January 9th and dark falls fast, around 5pm, whether or not there are still guests, father crosses himself and pours a little wine on it. Village Cikote near Loznica. Health to you all.

  • opinion#3092

    I put it out the most ordinary way, exactly like you're describing... That's how my grandfather did it too, and he never paid attention to any smoke... except crossing himself before lighting the candle and putting it out...

  • opinion#3091

    At my place, father waits until the last guest leaves in the evening, takes a small glass of brandy, thanks the Lord God, takes a piece of the bread, and puts the candle out in the wax. No pouring, no blowing, nothing else.

  • opinion#3098

    I just blow on it and put it out, whether it's a slava candle or any other kind.

  • opinion#3084

    I cross myself when I light it in the morning and it burns until the first dark. When I need to put it out before dinner starts, I cross myself, take a piece of the slava cake, kiss it, and put out the candle so the wick ends up in the melted wax. That's all. Whether it's correct or not I don't know, but that's how I was taught and have done it since I was little.

  • opinion#3085

    God help you! In my village it's put out with wine, generation after generation: the host crosses himself and pours a bit of the same wine over it that was poured over the cake (for years we broke the cake at home after it was blessed in church along with the wheat). But since last year when grandpa died, dad has been breaking the cake at church. For example, on day two we don't receive guests because we celebrate two slavas (great-grandmother's and great-grandfather's), so on day two we don't light the candle, since on the first day nearly all or most of it burns down. Glory to God!

  • opinion#3086

    God help you. First the candle is raised in the hand, a little blessed wine is poured from the glass, and you say: may God help us celebrate this slava for many long years. And when I put it out I say three times: we light it, we light it, we light it. And the little wine left on the candle is poured over the roast, accordingly.

  • opinion#3087

    My grandfather, like me, puts it out with brandy. Somewhere I've seen it put out with bread, that piece with which the host extinguishes the candle and then eats it. It's also supposed to be an odd number of hours from lighting, e.g. if lit at 12, put out at 3:30 etc. In my house nobody watches the time, nor the smoke or anything like that.