Tealights are small candles which were originally designed for use in food and tea warmers. Their design is also very close to that used for votive candles, and the two are used interchangeably in many places. The candles are very small, and they tend to be inexpensive, because they require minimal materials. Many stores carry tealights, ranging from home design shops to supermarkets, and they are often available in large bulk bags.
Several things distinguish a tealight. The first is the short, round shape. Tealights look like flat discs, since they are wider than they are tall, unlike many other candles. Tealights are also typically enclosed in metal, and they liquefy as they heat up. They are uniform in size, so that tealights can be used universally in a wide range of holders designed for them. Different manufacturers produce scented or colored tealights for decorative use.
When used to warm food, tealights are typically held in a small framework which is designed to support a dish or bowl of food. While tealights are not usually used to actively heat food, they can maintain a steady temperature. In some instances, tealights can heat a small amount of food, such as chipped chocolate in a small personal fondue pot. Many kitchen supply stores carry food warmers designed to work with tealights.
Many people also use tealights decoratively. A number of companies manufacture tealight holders, small shallow candle holders which are intended to hold one or many tealights. A wide assortment of designs are intended to complement different design aesthetics, and specialty tealight holders may even be designed to float on water or rotate as they warm up to flash designs around a room. Tealight holders are available at many home design stores and they can also be ordered through online retailers.
When used religiously, tealights are designed to fit into votive holders at an altar, or into a bed of sand used to support candles. Votive candles can technically come in a range of sizes, from squat tealights to tall tapers, although many churches only provide one kind, for a uniform look at the altar. Tealights may be used in some cases as votive candles since they are attractive, inexpensive, and surprisingly long burning. As a general rule, when lighting a candle for someone at an altar, it is traditional to make a donation to the church. Some churches simply directly sell candles to worshipers, who may light the candles at the altar as needed.
