The slava candle, and why I get asked for it every November

Every year, somewhere in the first week of November, the same message lands in my inbox. Do you make slava candles? Usually from someone whose mum used to sort it and now can't, or from a son who has just taken the slava over and has realised he doesn't know where the candle came from all those years.

I do make them. They are not on the Etsy shop because every one is different, so people ask through the contact form and I make them one at a time. This post is everything I end up explaining in those messages, in one place.

What a slava is, in one paragraph

A slava is the day a Serbian family keeps for its patron saint. Not the child's name day, not a birthday. The family's saint, kept once a year, on the same date, for as long as anyone can remember. In most families it passes down the male line, so a son keeps the same saint his father and grandfather kept. Some families do it differently, and if yours does, you know better than I do.

On the day, the family has the priest bless the home or brings the kolač and the žito to church, depending on the parish. There is a candle on the table with them. That candle is what I make. I am not going to tell you how the rest of the day runs. Your priest and your family will, and they will disagree with each other, which is normal.

What the candle is for

The slava candle is lit at the start of the day and sits with the kolač and the žito. It stays lit while the prayers are said. In most homes it is put out afterwards and kept for next year, so one candle can last a family a few slavas if it is a decent size. Some families buy a new one every year. Either is fine. It is the same candle.

It is not a christening candle and it is not a wedding candle. Those are held once, kept, and never really burnt. A slava candle is a working candle. It gets lit, it gets a bit of soot on the top, and it goes back in the drawer. That changes how I make it.

What I make

Two versions, and I will be honest about which one I think you want.

Plain with a cross. A single large candle in ivory or white wax with an Orthodox cross on the front. No tulle, no pearls, no ribbon. This is the one most families ask for once they have thought about it, because it is going to be lit every year and decoration near a flame is a bad idea. The cross sits on the upper third so it is above the wax as it burns down.

With lettering. The same candle with the saint's name in gold lettering under the cross. Sveti Nikola, Sveti Jovan, Sveti Đorđe, whichever yours is. Some families want the surname on it as well. I can do Cyrillic or Latin, but ask me first and send the spelling exactly as you want it. I confirm the wording with you before I touch the wax, the same way I do for the wedding candles, which use the same gold lettering if you want to see what it looks like.

What I don't do is icons printed on the candle. Some shops do. I don't have the setup for it and I would rather say so than sell you something I am not happy with.

When people order, and when they should

This is the part I actually want you to read.

The two saints' days that fill my table are St Nicholas in December and St John in January. If your family keeps one of those, half the Serbian families I know keep it too. The messages start in November for St Nicholas and go quiet for about a week over Christmas before the St John ones begin.

Every year someone asks me four days before their slava. Sometimes I can do it. Often I can't, because the lettering has to dry before I can post it and Australia Post does not care about your saint. So:

• Order at least three weeks before the date. Four is better. That covers making, drying, and posting anywhere in Australia.
• If your slava is St Nicholas, message me in October. Not November. October.
• If you are late, still ask. I will give you a straight yes or no. I would rather say no than post a candle with lettering that smudged because it went in the box wet.

Families with slavas outside the December and January rush have an easier time. If yours is in spring or autumn, three weeks is usually enough.

What I need from you

Keep it short. The message that lets me start straight away has:

1. The saint's name, spelt the way your family spells it. Latin or Cyrillic, say which.
2. Whether you want the surname on it too.
3. The date of the slava, so I know how much time we have.
4. Your postcode.

I will come back with what I can do and what it costs for the size and lettering you want. Prices depend on the candle and how much lettering there is, so I quote each one rather than putting a number on the website that turns out to be wrong for you.

One thing I get asked that I can't help with

People ask me what to do if the slava falls on a fast day, or whether the candle should be blessed first, or who should light it now that the grandfather has passed. I don't know your parish and I would be guessing. Ask your priest. He has answered that question a hundred times and will not mind answering it once more.

If you want a slava candle, send me the four things above and I will get back to you.