Cemetary...Christmas Eve

Written by Bev Moon
for the 1996 Niska Review

On Christmas Eve in Squaw Lake our lives are brightened by a special glow. Although it is only a few hours at best, we keep the memory of those flickering candles, with light made brighter through blocks of sparkling ice, all year long. Placed around the cemetery by the graves of family and friends, the sight of those candles burning is something one never forgets.

Historically, the candle-lighting is undoubtedly a remnant of pagan times, as are Christmas trees when the lighting of fires was used to drive away darkness on the longest night of the year. Now the candles on Christmas Eve act as another reminder of "those who have gone before us."

The Pihlaja clan rekindled the Finnish custom in Squaw Lake. Jack Pihlaja told of going to the cemetery in Finland and lighting big candles at the graves, and he was glad when the tradition was begun here in the early 1970's.

Although the end result may vary a bit depending on technique, the basic method of making the ice candles is the same. Water is put into a container and frozen until the ice is about 1/2 inch thick. An opening is made in the top, and the rest of the water is poured out. The crystal lantern produced provides a place for the candle to burn with little interference from wind. On occasion, plastic milk jugs have also been used to hold candles.

The ice containers may be round or square, large or small. Some are tinted with food coloring or dye, while others remain clear. My husband, Chan makes an annual trek out to his fish-house to fill the buckets with water from the lake. He has found that the ice produced from the lake water has more "sparkle" than tap water.

The candles and methods of keeping them upright differ. Mia Over used emergency candles waxed to a piece of cardboard, while her sister Delia Hovi, uses a jar lid with a nail hammered through it. The candle is then pushed into the nail. Others use a little sand, gravel, or kitty litter poured into the lantern as a base for the candle. Votive candles also produce a long-burning flame. They are anchored securely by freezing them to the bottom of the holder.

Minnesota winters can be unpredictable. There have been times when there was so much snow that the lights had to be placed on the snow banks along the plowed driveway. Other years have had such warm Decembers that a freezer had to be used to make the lanterns! Whatever procedure is used to make the lanterns, the result is truly spectacular and especially moving as the scattered points of light flicker and glow in the darkness. I think the most beautiful Christmas Eve was in 1990 when some of us met to admire the lighted candles. We were blessed with perfect winter weather that evening, as the glow of a bright moon was muted by a veil of clouds. Gentle white flakes fell on us as we exchanged hugs and "Hauskaa Joulua's," and remembered those who were no longer with us.