Rituals3 min read
A slow evening, by candlelight
Dim the lamps an hour early, set two tapers on the table, and let the evening take as long as it likes.
Most evenings end the way they began: under the same overhead light that saw us through the afternoon. The room never changes, so neither do we. A slow evening starts with one small decision, made a little earlier than usual. Turn the big lights off an hour before dinner, and light candles instead.
Begin before you need to
Light the candles while there is still some daylight left. The room does not switch from bright to dark; it drifts, and the flames take over as the window greys. By the time anyone sits down, the change has already happened, and nobody noticed it arrive.
Two tapers are enough for a table of four. Set them slightly off centre, so they do not stand between the people talking. If the table is long, add a second pair further down rather than crowding the middle.
Light is the first thing a room offers a guest.
Keep the light low
Candlelight works best when it is the main light, not a decoration next to a lamp. Leave one small lamp on in a corner if you need it, and turn everything else off. Your eyes adjust within a few minutes, and the room turns warmer and closer than it ever looks by day.
Pure beeswax burns with a slightly golden flame that barely moves when the air is still. Keep the candles away from open windows and doorways: a draft makes any candle smoke and drip, however well it is made.
Let it take as long as it likes
A slow evening has no programme. Serve the food in one or two courses rather than many. Leave the phones in another room. Clear the plates when people stand up of their own accord, not before.
Our tapers burn for about ten hours each, so they will outlast the longest dinner. When the evening is over, snuff them rather than blowing them out. The wick stays straight, no smoke drifts across the table, and they light cleanly next time.
- Two tapers for a table of four, slightly off centre.
- One lamp in a corner, everything else off.
- Candles lit before the guests arrive, not after.
- A snuffer beside the candlesticks, so nobody has to blow.
None of this needs an occasion. Try it on an ordinary Tuesday, for two people and a bowl of soup. That is usually when it works best.
