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Meaning & History
Means "candle bearer", derived from Latin candela "a taper, a wax-light, a tallow-candle" (the source of the English word candle) and ferre "to bear". In Roman mythology Candelifera was a goddess supposed to assist at childbirth, for whom a symbolical candle or torch was lighted.The cyclical place of the goddess is uncertain. It is sometimes thought that Candelifera provides an artificial light for labor that occurs at night. A long labor was considered likely for first-time mothers, so at least a part of the birthing process would occur at night. According to Plutarch, light symbolizes birth, but the candle may have been thought of as less a symbol than an actual kindling of life, or a magic equivalent to the life of the infant. Candelifera may also be a personification of the nursery light kept burning against spirits of darkness that would threaten the infant in the coming week. Even in the Christian era, lamps were lit in nurseries to illuminate sacred images and drive away child-snatching demons such as the Gello.