Candles

Authentic German Pyramid & Advent Candles

The candles that power a German Christmas pyramid have a specific job to do, and most ordinary candles can't do it. Our pyramid candles — also called drip candles — are made to burn slowly and at just the right temperature, so the heat rising off the flames turns the fan at the top evenly and at the proper speed. A candle that burns too hot spins the pyramid too fast or scorches the tiers; one that burns too cool won't turn it at all.

The same candles work beautifully on an Advent wreath — you simply choose the size that fits your holder. Sized for a pyramid, they set the tiers turning; sized for a wreath, they burn slow and steady across the four Sundays of Advent. They're sized precisely to fit an authentic German Christmas pyramid or wreath, and genuinely hard to find made correctly.

Many pyramids — especially smaller and more modern designs — run on tea lights instead, turning the blades with the same steady, rising heat. Which your pyramid takes depends on its design, so it's worth knowing before you buy.

We also carry a traditional German Advent candle — a single tall taper marked from 1 to 24 that you burn down one day at a time through December, counting to Christmas Eve like a candlelit Advent calendar.

Candlelight has been the defining element of a German Christmas for centuries. If you'd like to understand how each type is used, our guide to German Christmas candles covers the history and the practical side both.