Back to "Dogs of my own" Contents Back to Home                                                  FIRST  CANDLE  FOR  MY  A-lITTER

In France, tradition dictates that children's birthday is celebrated with candles on a cake. It can be used too for adults' birthday, but scarcely. The number of candles means the number of years : x candles on the cake for a xth birthday, but sometimes a bigger candle takes the place of 10 little ones, so for example, 1 big and 4 little candles mean the same that 14 little ones, that is to say 14 years old. And the child must blow and extinguish all the candles on the cake before eating. This tradition is so often celebrated that in French the word "candle" can be used instead of the expression "years old", and "to blow x candles", "to have x candles" etc, are commonly used instead of "to be x years old". Today my A-litter is precisely 1. So I must give them their first candle - although, of course, they consider that the cake is the more interesting part of such a tradition !

But why candles ? Candles are traditionally used to celebrate some events, especially children's birthday and Christmas. Candles mean light, and in the darkness of winter it can be easily understood that Christmas is celebrated with candles. Candles often attract children - and those of the birthday cakes are often coloured and with pleasant shape. Candles are an important thing in the children's imagination and dreams. Children's little world is full of any kind of monsters, frights, nightmares, etc. And why would the little dogs not have such frights, nightmares, etc, as any little child ?

The candles bring their light to reassure children in the night, but also they symbolize all the protection that their parents and other adults can give all around them. Candles on a birthday cake are like a message from the parents and the whole family, giving the child this protection that he needs to grow older ; the child must blow and extinguish all the candles, that is a kind of trial that is more difficult year after year (1 candle is added), but year after year the child grows up and is more and more able to do a lot of things. Growing older is not always easy ! The candles on the cake means both the difficulties, the effort, and the light, the protection, growing up can be difficult, but the family is near the child to help him and protect him. That's the reason why, beside me, Dad Fango, Mum Snasha, but also "Uncle" Gidan and "Grand-mother" Csele, are watching over the First Candle of my A-litter.

15/09/06 Isabelle Coquinot Back to "Dogs of my own" Contents Back to Home