The Paschal Candle of Holy Saturday and the Easter Vigil

On Holy Saturday, in the evening, Catholics the world over prepare and light the Paschal Candle.
Many non-Catholics are mystified by this very ancient practice, thinking all sorts of mistaken things about it. In fact, it is far more significant than they imagine.
    To help them understand a bit more, here is some info about it. Then, if you see people gathered outside a Catholic Church on Saturday night before Easter..., and notice a fire, candles, and a crowd processing around....you'll understand.
And maybe, you'll want to participate. All are welcome!  

       

The Paschal Candle is ceremonially prepared and blessed
at the start of the Easter Vigil service
(night before Easter Sunday)

    At the start of the liturgy, the priest will say the following in whole (or in part):
"Christ yesterday and today; the Beginning and the End
The Alpha and the Omega.
All time belongs to him; and all the ages.
To Him be glory and power; through every age for ever.
Amen."
    In most parishes, today, the candle is elablorately decorated as seen on the included fotos. However, it can also be a plain candle in keeping with the somber austerity of of Christ's death. In that case, he will scribe, a cross, the Alpha and Omega, and the year into the candle himself.
    Next, the priest will insert five grains of incense into prepared holes cut into the candle, at each pont of the cross. The grains of incesne are then held in place by wax nails inserted over them (as seen below) Then he will say:

"1. By his holy
2. And glorious wounds
3. May Christ our Lord
4. Guard us
5. And keep us.... Amen"

    All the above is done outside, usually, weather permitting.  Then, the faithful process into the darkened church where they the light their individual candles. By these lights in the darkness, they proclaim this prayer...

"This is the night, when once you led our forebears, Israel's children, from slavery in Egypt and made them pass dry-shod through the Red Sea.
This is the night that with a pillar of fire banished the darkness of sin.
This is the night that even now, throughout the world, sets Christian believers apart from worldly vices and from the gloom of sin, adding them to grace and joining them to his holy ones.
This is the night, when Christ broke the prison-bars of death and rose victorious from the underworld.
Our birth would have been no gain, had we not been redeemed.
O wonder of your humble care for us! O love, O charity beyond all telling, to ransom a slave you gave away your Son!
O truly necessary sin of Adam, destroyed completely by the Death of Christ!
O happy fault that earned so great, so glorious a Redeemer!
O truly blessed night, worthy alone to know the time and hour when Christ rose from the underworld!
This is the night of which it is written: The night shall be as bright as day, dazzling is the night for me, and full of gladness.
The sanctifying power of this night dispels wickedness, washes faults away, restores innocence to the fallen, and joy to mourners, drives out hatred, fosters concord, and brings down the mighty.
On this, your night of grace, O holy Father, accept this candle, a solemn offering, the work of bees and of your servants' hands, an evening sacrifice of praise, this gift from your most holy Church.
But now we know the praises of this pillar, which glowing fire ignites for God's honor, a fire into many flames divided, yet never dimmed by sharing of its light, for it is fed by melting wax, drawn out by mother bees to build a torch so precious.
O truly blessed night, when things of heaven are wed to those of earth, and divine to the human.
Therefore, O Lord, we pray you that this candle, hallowed to the honor of your name, may persevere undimmed, to overcome the darkness of this night. 

Receive it as a pleasing fragrance, and let it mingle with the lights of heaven. May this flame be found still burning by the Morning Star... the one Morning Star who never sets, Christ your Son, who, coming back from death's domain, has shed his peaceful light on humanity, and lives and reigns for ever and ever.
Amen."

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    Since the early centuries of Christianity, the Paschal Candle has been one of the most expressive symbols of the Easter Vigil and the entire Easter Season. On the night of Holy Saturday, the priests celebrating the Vigil Mass light it as a symbol of the Risen Christ.
- Light: Represents the risen Christ, who is the "true light that enlightens everyone who comes into the world" and who dispels the darkness caused by sin and its consequences.
- Flame or Fire: The gesture of the priest sharing the flame of the Paschal Candle with the faithful at the Easter Vigil symbolizes the faith that we all receive and share.
- Cross: Always the central symbol. It represents the path we must take to reach the Father, as Christ taught us.
- Nails: There are five grains of incense, usually red in color, embedded in the candle representing the five wounds of Jesus: the three nails that pierced his hands and feet, the spear thrust into his right side, and the thorns on his head.
- Alpha and Omega: The letters A (alpha) and Ω (omega), the first and last of the Greek alphabet, indicate that Christ's Passover, the beginning and end of time and eternity, is an occasion to receive that ever-new strength that comes from God, in the specific year we are living.
- Year: The current year symbolizes God in the present, as the Master and Lord of all eternity.
- Lamb: Christ is represented by the figure of a lamb, a symbol of meekness....yet, carrying a banner triumphant. God rules the universe, but does so with mercy. That is why His justice is truly capable of saving. His power lies in love.

Key Aspects of the Paschal Candle:
Symbolism: The candle represents Christ’s presence, resurrection, and divinity. It is often made of pure beeswax (representing Christ’s pure body) and decorated with a cross, Alpha and Omega (representing Christ as the beginning and end), and the current year.
Easter Season Significance:

 It is ignited during the Easter Vigil (Holy Saturday evening) from a newly kindled fire, and is prominently displayed in the sanctuary, serving as the focal point of light in the darkness during the liturgy.

Baptismal Importance: The candle remains in the sanctuary for the entire Easter season and at baptisms, where small candles are lit from it, signifying the passing of the light of Christ to the newly baptized.
Funerals Significance: The candle is placed near the coffin during funeral services to symbolize the Christian’s death as a participation in Christ's death and resurrection.

Thanks be to God.