what are votives

A votive candle is a small, short candle that can stand on its own and burns into the candle holder that its placed in. It is typically white or beeswax yellow and is intended to be burnt as a votive offering in an act of Christian prayer, especially within the Anglican, Lutheran, and Roman Catholic Christian denominations. The lighting of a votive candle is often done in fulfillment of a vow (Latin, votum), although in most cases, the intention is to give honor and to seek help from the saint before whose images the candle is lit and to pray for the dead. Votive candles may vary in size and shape, but they are generally small cylindrical candles around 2 inches tall and 1.5 to 1.7 inches in diameter. They can be made from different types of waxes, including paraffin, soy wax, or beeswax, and there are different grades of wax with different melting points. Votive candles are often confused with tea light candles, but the two types vary in several ways. While both tea lights and votives are small, short candles, tea lights are usually wider and shallower than votives and are designed to be used in tea light holders, while votives are designed to be used in votive holders.