A candlestick, chamberstick, or candelabrum (plural: candelabra) is a holder for one or more candles, used for illumination, rituals, or decorative purposes. The name 'candlestick' derives from the fact that it is usually tall and stick-shaped. Candlesticks are also called candle holders. However, not all candle holders are candlesticks unless they are tall and stick-like. Candlesticks are quite often and quite erroneously called candlestick holders by those who think that the candles themselves are the candlesticks.
Although electric lighting has phased out candles, candlesticks and candelabra are still used in modern homes as a decorative element or to add atmosphere on special occasions. Before the proliferation of electricity services, candles were brought into the bedroom using chambersticks, which were shorter than ordinary candleholders and furnished with a wide pan to catch the wax drippings.
Candles and candlesticks are also used frequently in religious rituals and for spiritual means. In Jewish homes, two candles are lit to mark the beginning of the Sabbath on Friday night. Hence, candlesticks are often on display. A seven-branched candelabrum, known as the Menorah, is the national symbol of the State of Israel, based on the candelabrum that was used in the Temple in Jerusalem in ancient times. Another special candelabrum found in many Jewish homes is the Hanukiah, the Hanukkah menorah. The hanukiah has holders for 8 candles, plus an extra candle for lighting the others.
Tall candlesticks and altar lamps are often found in churches.[1]
In popular culture, candlesticks are featured in the nursery rhyme Jack Be Nimble; as the character Lumiere in Disney's Beauty and the Beast; and in the game Cluedo (also known as "Clue" in North America). Many of Liberace's piano performances included a candelabrum on top of the grand piano. In the movie Bull Durham the assistant coach Larry (played by Robert Wuhl) suggests candlesticks as a wedding present during a crisis meeting held at the pitcher's mound in the middle of a game. In Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne, they are shown as keys required to enter into the Labyrinth of Amala.