When i was young, all glass candles burned for NINE days and were called Novena Cndles. They were developed in the Catholic Church for use with Novena -- NINE-DAY prayers. The glass tubes were thicker in diameter, but, more important, the wax in them was REAL HARD WAX, of the kind found now in a taper candle.
By the 1990s, the diameter of the tubes was reduced. Then the Gulf War happened and the price of crude oil (the source of paraffin for these candles) went up. The makers went to a gooey, oily type of pseudo-wax. This waxy oil is not stiff enough to stand on its own. It is melty at room temperatures in hot climates. It burns very fast.
As the price of oil rose, the makers began to stir AIR BUBBLES into the wax. This was like making whipped cream of the gooey wax. The volume was increased, but -- just like whipped cream -- when the candles were warmed up, the air bubbles escaped, and the wax went "flat" in the tube -- so that some tubes of wax-goo that had been heated were only 3/4 filled.
When the price of oil came down, the makers did NOT return to the larger tubes and better wax of the previous era. They kept the narrow tubes and crappy wax. We had entered the era of the SEVEN DAY CANDLE. No longer could a Catholic devotee perform a NOVENA PRAYER with a glass cnalde from these makers. Hoodoo practitioners (who were never all that much into novenas, because they are mostly Protestants) went with the trend and just called the candles Vigil Lights and Seven Day Candles.
Then the Second Gulf War broke out. Again the price of oil rose. Again the glass tubes were decreased in diameter -- and again the waxy-goo formula changed. Now the goo was slick and sometimes almost non-burnable. Air was whipped in. These candles lasted for FIVE DAYS -- not even a number consideed lucky in hoodoo -- and completely useless for nine-day Novena Prayers.
When that war ended, we were into the era of the FIVE-DAY CANDLE. At Lucky Mojo we changed all of our advertising and promotional paperwork and substituted the term Vigil Light for any previous references to Seven Day Candles. It's all FIVE-DAY CANDLES now, people. And there is nothing we can do about it, sad to say.
It would take a major investment in factory equipment to manufacture the larger glass tubes and purchase the higher-quality wax needed to go back into production with NINE-DAY NOVENA CANDLES. I do not believe that any of the less-than-one-dozen glass candle factories in America is willing to buck the tide and return to the better product -- because the price of the candles would be doubled, and they believe that most candles of this type are sold to poorer people who would rather have a bad candle for a lower price than a great candle for a higher price.
And that's the true story of why your candles now burn for only five days.
For information on how to work with candles, i have written a basic book filled with history, instructions, and spells.
BOO-GRI-AHCM
The Art of Hoodoo Candle Magic by catherine yronwode and Mikhail Strabo
$9.00
* Choosing Your Lights: Lamps, Offertories, Jumbos, Figurals, Votives, Vigils
* Altar Layouts and Spell Timing for Lamp and Candle Spells
* How to Read Divination Signs from Candles
* Candle Spells to Draw Love, Sex, Money, and Success
* Candle Spells for Blessing and Protection
* Candle Spells for Reversing, Cursing, Break-Ups, and Hot-Footing
* Private Candle Service Manual for Use in Candle Ministries
* Public Candle Service Manual for Use in Spiritualist Churches
The Art of Hoodoo Candle Magic
in Rootwork, Conjure, and Spiritual Church Services
by catherine yronwode and Mikhail Strabo
96 pages, $9.00
(Missionary Independent Spiritual Church)
Candle magic is one of the foundational practices within African American hoodoo folk-magic. Spell-casters of every level of experience within the community know the value and efficacy of setting lights, This book -- actually THREE BOOKS in ONE -- is a tremendous value for the money -- $9.00 for 96 tightly-packed pages, filled with history, teachings, traditions, and instructions on how to become a candle magic practitioner.
Here's what's inside:
CONTENTS
Dedication and Acknowledgements 3
SPIRITUAL CANDLE MAGIC FOR THE HOME PRACTITIONER: catherine yronwode
A Brief History of Candle Magic in America 5
Assembling Your Tools 9
Choosing Your Lights: Lamps, Offertories, Jumbos, Figurals, Votives, Vigils 10
Altar Layouts for Lamp and Candle Spells 22
Timing Your Work by the Moon and by the Days of the Week 27
Selecting Your Candles by Colour 28
Basic Ritual Procedures: Inscribing, Dressing, Prayers, Petitions, Disposal 28
Candle Spells for All Occasions 35
A White Candle Love Spell to Attract New Love 35
Lodestones and Red Candle to Attract New Love 36
Commanding Respect at a Meeting With Superiors 37
A Fixed Money Lamp to Bring in Wealth 37
Reconciliation Ritual for Estranged Friends 38
A Skull Candle to Influence Their Thoughts 38
3-Candle Spell for Love, Romance, and Passion 39
Green Candle Job-Getting or Wage Increase Spell 41
Crown of Success Candle Spell for a Performer 41
Blessing for a Family About to Have a New Baby 42
A Mother’s Guiding Light for Her Children 42
Tying a Man’s (or Woman’s) Nature 43
Hoodooing a Man’s (or Woman’s) Nature 44
Green Devil Money Back Spell 45
Keep Your Mate and Break Up an Outside Love Affair 47
Fiery Wall of Protection Spell 48
A Sugar or Honey Jar to Sweeten People to You 49
How to Read Divination Signs from Candle-Burning 50
Divination Techniques: Pyromancy, Ceromancy, Capnomancy, Cero-Capnomancy 50
Learning How to Read Candles 53
Signs Observed While the Candle is Burning 54
Signs Left in the Residue from a Burned-Out Candle 61
Signs Left In or On the Candle Holder 62
MISSIONARY INDEPENDENT SPIRITUAL CHURCH CANDLE SERVICE MANUAL
Altars and Altar-Work: Religious, Spiritual, Ancestral, and Working Altars 65
Prayers: Extemporaneous, Supplicatory, Intercessory, Imprecatory, Affirmative 67
Private Candle Services 71
How to Set Free Emergency Lights for Clients 71
How to Provide Private Vigil Light Services 72
HOW TO CONDUCT A CANDLE LIGHT SERVICE: Mikhail Strabo
Introduction by Rev. Adele Clemens 79
Important Notice and Prelude to the Current Edition 80
The Basic Candle Light Service 81
Message Bearing Candle Service for Spiritualist Churches 84
The Colour Candle Service in Spiritualist Churches 89
A Candle Light Service to Embrace Goodwill and Forgiveness 95
Postlude 96
I hope this helps!
Just yesterday I was wondering whether this matters, but my gut feeling was that it was appropriate to the person I am working on haha. 
