At the end of the year, when the Hanoi air begins to turn crisp, we notice far more people asking about the cinnamon bark range. Perhaps because at the same time there is a pot simmering in every kitchen, and the smell of cinnamon is already sitting in there.
Cinnamon suits the cold season because it belongs to the warm spice family. In a closed room it makes the space feel thicker and more sheltered from draughts, even though the temperature has not changed at all. That is why one small jar of cinnamon candle placed beside where you sit is usually enough to make a whole evening easier.
Where to place it at home
We tend to suggest putting the candle where you sit the longest, not where the room is widest. A corner of the desk, beside the reading chair, or on the dining table at supper. A scent needs closeness for you to really hear it, and it needs stillness so the draught does not carry it away.
If your home has a hallway or an entrance, lighting a candle there about half an hour before guests arrive is another way. Whoever walks in meets the scent before anything else, and that impression travels a long way.
The last days of the year
At Tet many families clean the house again, and after cleaning a home often smells of detergent and of new things. A jar of cinnamon candle lit at that moment pulls the room back to its familiar rhythm. Cinnamon also walks alongside the festive table and the incense on the ancestral altar, so it sits in exactly the right place in the air of these days.
For homes with many visitors, we often suggest lighting it about thirty minutes beforehand and then putting it out, so the scent lingers while the room stays airy. Burning it all day makes the scent too full, and anyone sitting for long will tire of it.
A little care
At Tet the house usually gains flowers, wrapping paper and decorations, so place the jar on a heat-resistant surface, away from curtains and paper, and burn it within sight. If there are small children or pets, keep the candle high up, where hands and tails cannot reach.
A few questions you often send us
Does cinnamon sit well with the incense on an altar
These two scents both sit in the warm family, so they go together quite comfortably. Keep them a few metres apart and both stay clear, each holding its own part of the room.
In a small home, how long is enough
For a room of about fifteen to twenty square metres, roughly an hour is enough to fill it. After that you can put it out, and the scent will stay on a while longer.
Does the humid season change anything
High humidity makes a scent travel a little more slowly. Open the door slightly to let the air move, then light the candle, and the scent will spread more evenly through the room.
Read more about cinnamon bark candles, about choosing a scent by season, or browse the VO QUE LAM candle.