This is for Pilgrim who wrote on Monday that you wished
you had a lampada but they seem so expensive.
NOT so (unless $2 or 3 is a lot of money which if that is, I am really sorry :( )
(not sure on shipping costs above)...
(well plus wicks, which are 4$ there for the 'string ones')
I know that some Orthodox make wicks out of cotton balls, they just kind of
spread the cotton ball out and kind of 'roll it' with their hands.
I've seen that done but have not done it myself.
***
So....
Go HERE to buy very inexpensive ones from a great Orthodox Monastery
called Hermitage of the Holy Cross. (The 2-4$ options are there).
Go HERE to see how I did mine and cleaned them
and also HERE to when I began using them at our new home,
when I was newly married.
***
(HERE is an Etsy account that sells the wicks I use
(and got earlier at Greek Monasteries)
via Cyrus for not a lot of money,
these are the kind I use BUT with the metal wick holders)...
(Note my blog post on how I began using them above,
as the wicks in the metal wick holders need to be split in 2
and I show pictures about this.)
***
The Votive holders I use for my lampadas are commonly called
'flower pot votive holders' and you can get them
cheap via amazon or a craft store.
you would need to be careful with those,
in terms of making sure the lampada wick holder you use is one that
works with it...
as they may be harder to use with the oil, but we do have one lampada that
is more that size so it is doable.
(Feel free to ask me questions!)
***
Now the hanging lampadas, like I have a two of,
those are a bit more, usually in the low 30$ for a brass (or brass coloured!) one.
You can get them at Orthodox Monasteries, some churches and also HERE, for example.
(this source I used for icons for our goddaughter when we could not find them
any where else!)
So those are a bit more costly.
I think there may be even MORE costly ones but I don't have those! :)
I have a really pretty one in our bedroom but that was Mr Husband's so
I don't know how much it cost... :)
***
While I have a bit more ease, in terms of fiances,
I had some hard knocks and even poverty.
(I went through a few months where I could not pay my rent)...
I used to use vegetable oil as it was more affordable
(When my then newly met boyfriend now Husband bought me a
big tin of oil for my lampada, I thought it was the most
romantic thing ever!).... :)
***
But both icons and lampadas should not be costly esp. if you can't afford it.
I used to make a lot of my icons, printing them on one of the
picture machines (like Kodak etc) that are at stores and buying
a dollar store frame to put the picture/printed icon in.
Those cost me less than 2$ for one icon...
My icon of St Nectarios (very left in the picture) above is one of those icons.
***
I don't always talk about the 'where to get' for Orthodox things
but if you or anyone ever wants to know,
I am happy to tell you what I can about the topic. :)
***
I got my hanging lampada from Holy Dormition Monastery years ago,
before I ever had contact with my now married-8-years Husband.
Because of the you-know-what-virus they are closed to visitors
and their giftshop online (it's fun!) does not seem to have them right now.
***
I find lampadas (and candles etc) to be a great encouragement
and I would hate you to think that they have to be fancy
or costly!!!
If I can be of more help about this topic do let me know.
You all know I am a "maximalist" (as opposed to a minimalist) when it comes to
everything I love... but I have ALWAYS maintained that you
can have a beautiful (and peaceful, prayerful) home without spending a lot of money.
I love thrift stores, rummage sales and bargains.
Much of my most beautiful things (linens, dishes...) were found at thrift stores
or rummage sales. Frankly my best towels that we use personally
are from either the VNA rummage sale or thrift stores in Michigan.
(of course I wash these well first and actually put all used towels or clothes
DRY in the dryer first to be sure nothing living is well, alive! LOL, and then I wash them
as per their instructions, or as per household logic)...
***
I VERY much believe in living below your means if at all possible
and NOT going into debt for unnecessary things or for something you really want
but is costly, like if you wanted a pure gold lampada (I don't know that this exists!)
that cost HUNDREDS of dollars, well, I would never do that for my home...! :)
***
Anyway, there's my thoughts on that.
I do hope it helps :)
God bless you!!!
8 comments:
How long do you find the short waxed wicks burn in the metal wick holders? Are they tricky to clean once burnt up? I am having trouble getting the cotton string wicks to burn for very long in my own metal holders (maybe it is a string-width issue) and am wondering if these might be a better option for me.
Wow, thank you for the detailed information! I have gotten icons and candles from Legacy, in West Michigan, a number of times. Their Lampada prices were what I meant when I said they seem expensive. Of course, these are good quality, I think. Everything they offer seems to be very good quality.
The lampadas on the Ancient Faith site are a little cheaper, but still, a cost.
I have ordered tapers from the Holy Cross Monastery, along with their videos.
It seems using oil would be cheaper than candles, and the time of putting water in first seems like a good safety measure. I remember using the oil with a wick, in a little copper lamp, years ago.
I have seen the Istok site before, and wondered if they were reputable. I may give them a try.
I didn’t realize lambada could refer to a standing votive, as well as a hanging one. The hanging hardware is part of what sends the cost up.
I will have to look into your various options. They are certainly affordable. I have votives and oil, would only need the wicks and holder for them.
Interesting to see the Dormition Monastery here. I have been Re-watching Cynthia Damaskos’ interview done there, for her online “My Beautiful Advent” program this year.
I also find the lit beeswax candles quite comforting, especially in this time of isolation.
Thank you, again!
Hi Katie: Well, that is ONE thing I have yet to solve. The wicks sometimes burn for hours but others seem to go out within a few hours and sometimes even faster. I don't know the solution to that! About cleaning - A lot of people use either a small scissors or tweezers to get the burnt top of the wick off. I personally, at home, use my fingers and wipe the burnt bits on a paper towel (which I put in a jar that I keep for such things and later bring to church for my Husband to put in the church burn barrel). We do what we can and leave the rest to God...
Pilgrim - YES, if you are using the cork holder for the wick then add water at the end as a safe guard for sure! Did you mean Legacy icons in West MI? I looked them up and yes, those are more money for sure. I think there are different places/prices/qualities. Like mine in hanging I did not take the best care of it and it's dark now instead of brass/shiny. But I still like it fine. It surely did not cost 80$ to buy just the hanging lamp part. To me a lampada is both hanging and the ones resting on a table. If you do the oil with one on a table, have some sort of saucer or something under it as oil no matter how careful I am gets under the lampada and on to the surface it is resting on - and if that surface is wood you really don't want oil on it.... ps: about legacy icons - the church that the founder of legacy icons went to for the wedding he photographed and that converted him is the church I was chrismated in :) Nice about the interview at Holy Dormition! My second Communion ever was there 16 years ago; this monastery is closest to where I grew up in MI and I used to go there at least yearly but various things have kept me from going the last 2 years or so. But I listen to them on youtube that they began in earnest with the pandemic and that is a huge blessing.
Yes, Zeeland area? I like them, because we lived in Holland for a time.
It’s a small world! I would like to visit that GR church, some day. I read or watched the story of the Legacy founder, a few years ago. I think he goes to St. Willibrord’s mission, now. I met someone from that church at the Antiochian village women’s conference, a couple years ago.
Wow, that’s interesting you’ve been to the women’s monastery. I think we drove by there, on a visit to my in-laws, before I knew much about what it was. I would like to visit there, too. I didn’t realize they were streaming services. I will have to check it out.
There also a Romanian women’s monastery down in Allegan, MI, now, too. It’s interesting how many of these places there are, that you never hear of, until you start paying attention. I think our closest is St. Gregory of Palamas, a couple hours northwest of here. We visited there once. They have a new church designed by Andrew Gould that I would love to see the inside of. Only the outside was done, when we stopped in.
Pilgrim: Nice RE: legacy icons! Yes, the website said he goes to ST Willibrord's church...I knew (not well) the priest who began it before he moved to Holland (I was friends with his daughters when they all lived in GR about 16 years ago)...I am sure it is a really nice parish!
Yes I have been to HDM on and off for years; do check out their youtube channel! (I subscribe to both their channel and Holy Transfiguration in Ellwood City and both are such a blessing! They help me feel MUCH less alone!
I did not know about the Romanian monastery in Allegan MI! I have not been to the ST Gregory Palamas Monastery but I have heard of it! Hopefully one day, we will all be able to visit such places of prayer again!
Hello Elizabeth, I looked up what a Lampada was. The examples I saw were lovely. Something I may have to consider as a small gift to my Orthodox cousins one day. I love learning about how others share their love for God. Blessings!
Oh, thanks a lot for the info.
Yes, this long tunnel has light at the end!
We recently discovered that the Sugar and Cream cotton yarn (or peaches and cream if you get the other brand) also works just fine as a wick and considerably cheaper, given the ball size. (I had bought a cone for a project, so we really have enough for years!) Soak in vinegar first for about 24 hours to make the wick draw up the olive oil better.
Trimming floating wicks is another regular maintenance thing; ours has to be trimmed at least once a day, sometimes twice. Oil filled every day. A dental floss threader works particularly well to thread the wick through the hole and pull it up enough. A pair of tweezers is also helpful for clipping away the carbon at the tip.
Post a Comment