On November 14 , 2015 , the candle was lit nearly two weeks prior to the official ceremony date after local resident Joe Mercado posted to an Easton , Pennsylvania Facebook community page asking to light the candle to show support for the people of Paris , France after a terrorist attack the day before . Due to overwhelming response to the post , the city organized a candle light vigil that evening with several hundred residents attending . Prayers were offered in several languages , including French , and several faiths . Easton Mayor Sal Panto Jr. and Allentown Mayor Ed Pawlowski spoke . The candle remained lit for three days before being shut off until the official lighting event
terrorist attack
November 2015 Paris attacks
Peace Candle