Vigil Lamps

Light is a symbol of good, of God. The meaning of the candle and the lamp as a cult of the source of light is in the fire from which the light radiates. Fire purifies the impure, and light drives away the darkness and thereby dispels impure spirits.

The light from the lamp comes from the oil. It used to be exclusively olive oil, but now it is also used from other plants. The olive had a great value in the economy of the Mediterranean countries, but it is much more important for the Church and its rituals that the olive is a biblical symbol of peace.