Novena candles?

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I think that I have the name right. I mean those pillar candles in glass cylinders, with a picture of Jesus or Mary or I think sometimes saints. I had a Catholic relative who loved them as a kid. I’m a new Catholic (3 rcia classes, still waiting for first confession, etc) and I was wondering if anyone uses them and how to use them. Are there certain series of prayers for different kinds, is it simply to light a candle for prayers, are they for special occasions? My next rcia class isn’t until January.
 
I know the kind you are talking about, not the little votive candles but the bigger ones.
These didn’t exist when I was younger and living in the Midwest. I only saw them start to appear in stores when more Hispanics moved into the area. So, I don’t know of any particular way to use them.
 
Yeah, I meant the candles sunbreak mentioned, though thank you for the information about votives, Marie.

I’ve done a little more research and I discovered that a novena is a nine day prayer sequence, and that there are many different kinds to Jesus, Mary and the saints. I guess that the candles have something to do with that. I’ve seen some of them lit at the Mary mosaic outside of the mission where I attend mass. It is a heavily Hispanic community. My Gypsy relatives seem to like them, but most of them married Mexican women, so maybe that is where they got the tradition from. I don’t have a lot of contact with them anymore because of family issues not directly involving me. I know that my Italian neighbor, when I was growing up, also liked them a lot. I would run errands for her, and they were sometimes on her shopping list.

Unfortunately, I also discovered that some pagan religions use them too, but I don’t like to discuss those kinds of things too much.

Ever since I was a kid, I have felt something from even seeing the ones in the grocery stores. They always felt special in some way. What little I could find out about them, Catholics usually have the candles blessed by a priest, or buy already blessed candles. I’m still not entirely sure how to use them with prayers. I think that my Gypsy (Ludad) relatives used them in daily prayer, like some people use a votive, but I am not sure.
 
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