Candles and Their Colours

By the 1930s the candle had moved to the centre of conjure in the cities. Hyatt found altars in New Orleans lit with every colour, and drugstore candles bought for jobs, lovers, landlords and enemies.

His informants did not agree on what every colour meant. They agreed that a candle does work, and that a name set under it is the one it works on.

What it is

Hyatt called the candle a magic helper, a hand, and the helper behind it a spirit (Hyatt, Vol. 1 · note to Candles).

He traced colour meanings to three sources: the old symbolism of black for darkness, red for blood and white for light; the colour of a saint’s robe in a picture or statue; and whatever the hoodoo dealer or printed instructions said the colour was for.

The colours, as Hyatt’s informants gave them

• Black. “a danger candle” (Hyatt 2780 · New Orleans, La. · informant 837). For enemies (Hyatt 2784 · Mobile, Ala. · informant 666). Death, burned late at night, six or seven of them (Hyatt 2783 · Little Rock, Ark. · informant 887). Burned in a house, it keeps the house from being rented (Hyatt 2786 · Waycross, Ga. · informant 1116).
• Red. Good luck (Hyatt 2780). Love (Hyatt 2782 · Mobile, Ala. · informant 704). Victory over something (Hyatt 2778 · Mobile, Ala. · informant 695). Fusses, quarrels and fights (Hyatt 2781 · Mobile, Ala. · informant 664). One Mobile informant used red to reform a drunkard (Hyatt 2784).
• White. Peace and happiness in the home (Hyatt 2780). Prosperity and purity (Hyatt 2778). Burned for someone very sick, with a reading from the Bible (Hyatt 2782). Success in getting a job (Hyatt 2777 · Mobile, Ala. · informant 676).
• Green. Mostly for money (Hyatt 2782). Burned three days with prayer and fasting by spiritual people, to heal the sick (Hyatt 2778).
• Blue. Success (Hyatt 2778). Luck (Hyatt 2784).
• Pink. Good luck (Hyatt 2781).
• Yellow. Affection in the home (Hyatt 2782). Money (Hyatt 2787 · Memphis, Tenn. · informant 948).
• Gold. Money into the home (Hyatt 2786). Three at a time until nine are burned, for perfect peace (Hyatt 2776 · Memphis, Tenn. · informant 1556).

Setting a light

The candle is set on a name. Informants wrote the name on paper and put it under the candle, or wrote it on the candle itself.

• A white candle with three loaves of sugar, the name under it, and a wish made as it is lit, for luck (Hyatt 2779 · New Orleans, La. · informant 845).
• To bring someone back, write the name nine times, fold the paper toward you, set it under the candle, and “before nine days go, he be back” (Hyatt 2790 · New Orleans, La. · informant 859).
• For a job, the boss’s name written on a red, a yellow and a white candle, all burned at once, with your wishes said again at five in the morning (Hyatt 2787).
• Pink in the day and green at night, to keep a jealous man awake thinking of you until he comes (Hyatt 827 · Algiers, La. · informant 1601).

The black candle

Black candle work was done on enemies and on rivals. A New Orleans worker wrote a man’s name on a black candle, wrapped it in yellow paper and sealed it with a second black candle, like closing a letter (Hyatt 2771 · New Orleans, La. · informant 829).

In Mobile, a woman burned black candles with a man’s name written on them at set hours of the day, until he could not stay anywhere in peace (Hyatt 2750 · Mobile, Ala. · informant 688).

Another New Orleans informant was plain about it: a black candle burned on your name, “that’s to kill you” (Hyatt 2785 · New Orleans, La. · informant 797).

How it’s worked today

Candles are now the most common tool in hoodoo. Colour is chosen by purpose, the candle is carved with names or dressed with oil, and set over a petition or personal concerns.

Workers still burn candles in sets of three, seven or nine, and read the flame, smoke and leftover wax for how the work is going.

Learn the work

← Back to The Hyatt Files

Source: Harry Middleton Hyatt, Hoodoo – Conjuration – Witchcraft – Rootwork, 5 vols., 1970-1978. Numbers refer to Hyatt’s own item numbers; the town and informant number follow. Written by Hoodoo Witch in our own words, with short quotations for reference.