I have talked a lot about my candles this winter. They have also featured quite frequently in photos here. I've gotten a lot of enjoyment out of those candles I've made from the stubs of blessed candles collected at church.
So imagine my delight when I discovered that yesterday was a day all about candles!
Specifically, it was Candlemas. I had no idea about this until A. and I showed up for daily Mass* in the village and we were handed candles for a procession before Mass started and told it was the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord.
Okay . . .
I had to look this up. Turns out, this feast is always forty days after Christmas and it commemorates, as the name says, when Jesus was presented at the temple by Mary and Joseph, as was the custom for Jewish boys at the time. When that happened, Simeon, a man also at the temple that day, called Jesus "a revealing light to the Gentiles."
And that is where Candlemas comes from. It's all about light. In some countries, it's the end of the entire Christmas season. It's also a day when priests would bless candles.
I didn't bring any candles to be blessed, since I didn't even know what day it was. But I already have blessed candles in my house, thanks to the ones I made. So I decided it would be fun to have a candlelit dinner to celebrate Candlemas.
The children were very enthused about this. They thought we should turn off every single light in the house so it really would just be the candles illuminating the table.
A., however, really dislikes dim light at the table. The idea of eating by just candlelight was not really to his taste. I compromised by leaving lights on in the living room and kitchen and just having candlelight in the dining room.
5 comments:
Lovely! I left up my Christmas wreath and last decoration ( Lego Xmas centerpiece with a "candle " )until Candlemas. No actual candle though- maybe I'll remedy that next year.
Thank you I learned something new today!! Next February 2 i will remember to celebrate.
It’s a tradition in our house every Candlemas to use no electric lights all day and only use candles. It gets hard by the evening (especially with 8 kids homeschooling…) but the kids look forward to it so much!
Our church is run by Franciscan missionary priests (who also serve internationally, and many come from other countries) and the creche and some of the Christmas decorations in church are left up until Feb. 2. So far as remembering? I just remember it's the same as Groundhog Day -- both religious and non-religious holidays on the same day. Candles are so nice during this cold, dark time of winter. Laure
And of course, Feb 2 is the cross-quarter day, meaning that it marks the mid-point between the winter solstice and the spring equinox. So whatever the day is called, it's one to recognize, as it reaches deep into human traditions of paying attention to the cycle of the seasons and the movement of the sun, which here is heading northward, changing the angle of the setting sun across the lake. MIL
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