paschal candle

American  

noun

1. a tall candle, symbolizing Christ, that is sometimes blessed and placed on the gospel side of an altar on Holy Saturday and kept burning until Ascension Day.

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Example Sentences

After starting the service in the rear of the church with the traditional lighting of a large paschal candle, he was taken in a wheelchair to the front to preside at the Mass.

From Reuters

Hundreds of people lit candles in the vast Cathedral of St. Paul, Minnesota, after Archbishop Bernard Hebda blessed the fire and lit the Paschal Candle to open the Easter Vigil service late Saturday.

From Seattle Times

The paschal candle, used by various Christian communities, is a larger, communal candle whose flame is shared, and thus spread, at baptisms and funerals and on feast days.

From Washington Post

In an ancient tradition meant to recall baptism, his casket was covered with a white linen pall, blessed with holy water by a priest, and positioned in the sanctuary before the Paschal candle.

From The Wall Street Journal

The liturgy includes the Lighting of the Paschal Candle, the Exsultet, the Prophecies, the First Eucharist of Easter and special music sung by Redeemer’s choirs.

From Washington Post