São Paulo – Featuring religious or decorative themes, handcrafted candles by Brazil’s Mabel Nakrour are successful in Lebanon. In the sanctuary of Harissa, the Arab country’s patron saint, churchgoers buy Nakrour’s candles to show their devotion. The church is where the bulk of the 100 candles made monthly by the Brazilian are sold.
“There’s a huge shop in the church. Priest Antônio is a Lebanese who’s lived in Rio de Janeiro for six years. He buys nearly all I make,” says Nakrour. During Christmas, she’ll make as many as 500 units a month.
Besides religious-themed candles, Nakrour also makes décor candles. According to her, it is customary in Lebanon to give presents on occasions such as lunch, dinner and other get-togethers. Her candles, she says, are ordered to be handed out as mementos.
A native of Belém, in the state of Pará, Nakrour isn’t of Arab descent. She moved to Lebanon 20 years ago, with her Lebanese husband whom she met in São Paulo.
She had never made candles before moving to the Arab country. When she decided to do work that would give her autonomy in her new country, Nakrour took a decorative candle-making course in São Paulo during her vacations.
She brought her knowledge, the molds, and the material to adorn her candles from São Paulo with her. She still works with material imported from Brazil. “I bring the molds, the wick, everything from Brazil. The paraffin is the only thing I buy locally because it’s an oil product, so it’s cheaper here. The paraffin I use comes from Egypt,” she explains.
“The Lebanese favor more sophisticated items,” Nakrour explains. In her décor arrangements, she uses items such as flowers, semiprecious stomes, leaves and lots of color. She also makes Islamic-themed décor candles that sell out of a Beirut shop. Nakrour stops working in the hottest months of the year, July, August, and September, since overly hot weather gets in the way of candle-making.
Nakrour makes all of the candles alone at homem in the city of Jounieh. She says she makes over 500 different models, and arrangements sell for USD 10 to USD 30. She accepts custom orders. The candles can be viewed on her Facebook page: http://migre.me/criar-url/.
*Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
