Did you know you can count down the days of Lent just like you can the days of Advent? You can even light a candle for each Sunday of Lent, of which there are 6! This is a part of my series about how to make a Lenten table display with $10 and the Dollar Tree. I will walk you through exactly how to make a Lenten candle display of your own, and how to use it with your family. Let’s take a look at how to make a Lenten candle display.
I wrote an article years ago about how to make a Lenten candle cross display, but I wanted to try something different, and it doesn’t have to be shaped like a cross. I have seen these candle displays be lined up in a row, and I have also seen them in a circle. Whatever Lenten display you choose, you will need 6 candles, as there are 6 Sundays in Lent.
What Colors Of Candles To Get For Your Lenten Candles
This works a lot like an Advent wreath, adding one candle each Sunday, counting down the days until Lent. Just like Advent, the liturgical color of the Lenten season is purple, so you will want your candles to match that.
If you want to invest in multiple colors of candles, candle number 4 can be pink (for Laetare Sunday), and candle number 6 can be red (for Palm Sunday). But using all purple candles isn’t a problem.
How To Light Your Lenten Candles
You just light them during dinner when you say the dinner prayer, and blow them out when you’re finished eating.
You light candle number 1 on Ash Wednesday, but you don’t add another the first Sunday of lent. Candle number 2 gets lit the second Sunday of Lent along with candle number 1. On the third Sunday of Lent, you light candles number 1, 2, and 3 and so on. On Palm Sunday, all the candles will be lit.
If you want all of the candles to match the liturgical colors of that Sunday, these will be the colors of candles that you use for each Sunday of Lent:
- Purple (light on Ash Wednesday… do not a second candle the first Sunday of Lent)
- Purple
- Purple
- Pink (Laetare Sunday)
- Purple
- Red (Palm Sunday)
How To Display Your Lenten Candles
You can put the candles around in a circle on a plate, in a line on a rectangular dish, or in a cross shape. You can display them with any Lenten themed statues, crosses, or items that you like. This can be displayed on your home altar, or your family dining room table.
How To Build A Lenten Candle Display For $3
As part of my Dollar Tree Lenten table, I made a $3 Dollar Tree Lenten candle display!
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Supplies Needed For Lenten Candle Display:
- Purple lavender tea candles, 8 pack: $1- There are several sizes of candles but this is your cheapest option. To make a Lenten candle display you will need 6 candles.
- Plastic rectangular tray: $1- I found this in the party section near all the plastic table cloths and paper plates. There are glass versions you could get in the dish aisle but I hate having glass in my home, honestly. It always ends up breaking.
- Bag of dry beans: $1- I got pinto beans because I liked the brown color. You can find these in the grocery section.
Fill the tray with the brown beans (you could alternately use sand, rocks, or anything the seemed “Lenten like” to you and isn’t flamable).
Place your candles in the tray, and wiggle them down into your beans or other medium you’ve chosen.
I love how ours are displayed on purple felt with my little Dollar tree succulent and a stick from the yard. In general, I love how many Lenten “decorations” you can find outside for free!
Be sure to check out the rest of my Dollar Tree Lenten table display here along with my Lenten printables for going on your home altar.
You can find all of my Lenten posts here. Hope these ideas bless your family this year!
You can find more tips on putting together a Lenten home altar here, and you can find all of my resources for celebrating Lent with your family here.
