Under another entry, a commentator asked:
Why [were] the altar candles sometimes in line (as for the Mass of 1 Jan) and sometimes in echelon (as at Christmas Midnight Mass).
I think he was asking about putting the candles at an angle. Here is a screenshot from Midnight Mass.
I don’t know why they are that way. Maybe a nun set them up. It is eery how Italian nuns are incapable of putting any two or more candles in a straight line parallel to the edge of an altar.
However, there is another way in which candles can be in echelon, and this is part of the Roman style. The candles on a Roman altar are, in at different levels.
In the front of an older Roman Missal you will see a diagram of how an altar is to be incensed. Note that the candles are at different heights.
And here is a shot of a side altar in St. Peter’s Basilica. You can see that the candles sticks are different heights.
In the video of the Pope’s Midnight Mass, at the very beginning there is a shot of a side altar. You can see the candle sticks are at different levels.
In any event, I thought I would share some Roman lore for your opportune knowledge.
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