Candle gifting

...hey...can you show me how to make candles?

— Kristoffer

The Saturday after Saint Lucy's Day on the 13th of December, a large part of the inhabitants of Urskoga will give their friends and extended family small candles as gifts. The candles are usually store-bought and cheap, while handmade candles are given between lovers and people who have a romantic interest in each other.
This day has moved around during December for the last 500 years until it settled and has stayed on the Saturday after Saint Lucy's day for the last 157 years.

Origin

by Rebecca Peterson-Hall

This is a tradition that supposedly has its origins in the settling of this town back in the late 16th century. The only thing the few people who are still around from that era will say about the origin of the tradition is that a proud family lived in a small cottage outside of the town proper, and there they froze to death because they did not want to ask their neighbors for help when they had run out of kindling. Since they did not ask for help nobody thought to give them any.
Now friends and family who don't live together should remember to give light and love to the people who are important to them.

There are whispers and rumors among the people in the know that there are other reasons for this tradition. People who move away from the town do not remember this tradition. However, if somebody knows about another origin of the tradition then they are keeping that secret for themselves.

Gifting

The candles are handed over around the time just before the sun starts setting which is usually around 1-2 pm.
The candles to friends and family are mostly handed over without any wrapping or inside a plain gift bag, without any pomp and circumstance. While people who are lovers or have a romantic interest in somebody will try to be fancier, both with the wrappings of their candles and how they choose to hand them over.