By: fallen angel

Many of you may be wondering, why does people hold candlelight vigils when they have something to say, or when something unfortunate happens. From my research, there could be a few possible origins of candlelight vigils.

One source says that the candlelight vigils has pagan roots to it, with Druids rituals coming to mind. Another source said that in the past, before electricity was available for everyone, when a person is ill or dying, people would group together and pray for the person to get better, and they will bring candles to the occasion. The last, and the most neutral one says that candlelight vigils are done to show unity, with the flame of the candle representing their hearts and their will.

My conclusion from the research was, whatever the roots of it, it’s the message that matter. When people group together to send a message across, a candlelight in hand represents the unity, the heart, and the burning desire to peacefully convey the message, as opposed to a unruly demonstration. If I hold a high ranking post in the government, given a choice, I’ll choose a peaceful candlelight vigil over a strike or mass rally any day.