Blessing of the Throats

Origins and early accounts

Devotion centres on Saint Blaise, a healer who served as a Christian leader in Sebaste, located in what is now Sivas, Turkey. Accounts recorded that he saved a young boy who was choking on a fishbone. One story says Blaise laid hands upon the child; another claims he crossed two candles near the child's neck. While imprisoned for his faith, Blaise received visits from an elderly woman who brought him food and tapers to brighten his dark cell after he saved her pig from a wolf. By the Middle Ages, appeals to Blaise for relief from sickness had become widespread.

The candle ritual

During or following a church service, a priest, deacon, or appointed layperson approaches each believer. The minister holds two tapers, traditionally blessed on Candlemas the previous day, against or near the throat. As the candles rest against the neck, the minister recites a blessing asking God to deliver the person from throat disorders and all other sickness through Saint Blaise's prayers. If candles are not used individually for everyone, the presider may extend hands over the entire congregation while saying the prayer.

Regional variations

Local congregations observe unique adaptations of the ceremony. In German communities, the candles are frequently ignited during the prayer. Eastern Orthodox parishes celebrate the rite around mid-February according to their calendar. Armenian Catholic churches often anoint the neck with oil using a candle or cotton tip. In parts of Spain and Mexico, attendees receive a protective ribbon to wear around the neck for nine days. At San Carlo ai Catinari in Rome, clergy apply a mounted relic in place of candles.

How Blessing of the Throats is kept

Worshippers gather in church during or near the saint's memorial day. A minister takes two candles fastened together in a cross, sometimes bound with a red cord symbolising martyrdom. Each person steps forward, and the candles are rested against or held directly over the throat. The minister speaks a formal prayer seeking deliverance from throat trouble and general sickness. In some Eastern Catholic parishes, oil replaces the candles, while in other regions, congregations receive blessed ribbons to keep around their necks.

When and where

The rite is traditionally held on the third day of February. Congregations often offer it on the prior evening during Candlemas or on the nearest Sunday when larger crowds attend services. Eastern Orthodox communities observe it on February 11.

Parishes throughout the Catholic Church, parts of the Anglican Communion, and certain Eastern churches carry out the custom. It appears in churches across Europe, the Americas, and parts of the Middle East.

What Blessing of the Throats means

The crossed tapers recall both the cross of Christ and the lights brought to Saint Blaise during his imprisonment. A red ribbon bound around the wax signifies martyrdom and sacrifice. The prayer itself reflects trust in saintly intercession for physical healing, especially against respiratory or throat trouble, turning an everyday fear of choking into an act of communal faith.

Days Blessing of the Throats is marked

Questions people ask about Blessing of the Throats

See also

CandlemasA Christian feast of candle blessings marking the end of the Christmas seasonBotafumeiroA giant swinging censer of brass and silver that fills the Santiago de Compostela Cathedral with incense during solemn fSweat lodgeA purification ceremony kept by Indigenous peoples of the Americas using a heated hut and steam.Presentation of Jesus at the TempleA February feast of candles and welcome, kept forty days after Christmas

Good reading and sources

• Blessing of the Throats on WikipediaEncyclopedia
• More photos on Wikimedia CommonsPhotos and video
• Wikidata recordOpen data

It may contain mistakes. Traditions differ from one family, village and community to the next, and the people who keep them know them best. If something is wrong, tell us. Last refreshed 2026-10-06.