Burning a bayberry candle on New Year’s Day was something my Grandmother Blanche Shipley Phillians did every year. She was very superstitious and she did it for good luck! I decided to honor her tradition this year after I found a beautiful bayberry taper in a gift shop. This candle, made by Mole Hollow Candles Ltd. in Sturbridge, MA, came with a little card that explained the tradition: “A bayberry candle burnt to the socket brings food to the larder and gold to the pocket.” “Burning bayberry candles for good luck in the New Year is a tradition dating back to colonial times,” the card reads. “We hope that our long burning bayberry scented tapers will help you to continue this tradition while bringing peace and good fortune to you and your loved ones.” Here’s to good luck and good fortune in 2023! We all need it!
Family Stories from Southwestern Pennsylvania & Ohio