Celebrating the bright lights of Candlemas – Hopeful looks toward Spring!

Updated 2023

Since reverting back to my Catholic Faith, this is one of my favorite feasts. I just love the look and feel of candlelight!

What is Candlemas?

• Candlemas is the official end of the Christmas Season. In medieval times, the Christmas greenery finally came down on February 2 because it was finally dry enough to burn!
• On the calendar, this feast comes halfway between the winter solstice and spring equinox and gives us all hope that just maybe, spring is weeks away!
• Candlemas is 40 days after Christmas. Mary, as a good Jewish mother, came to be purified as prescribed in the book of Leviticus.
• With Candlemas, we remember the Presentation of our Lord in the temple as the law prescribed. It is the 40th day after Christ’s birth.
• Chapter 12 of Leviticus is the law concerning the purification of women:
• We read about Mary’s purification and the presentation of Jesus in the book of Luke 2: 22.
• Candlemas has ties to the Celtic festival of Imbolc. February 1 is the feast of St. Brigid of Ireland. Imbolc centered around the lighting of fires to celebrate the return of the son and longer days. Candlemas reminds us that Jesus, the Son, increases and brings light to the world.
• Candlemas has been celebrated since 543AD The Venerable Bede and St. Eligius both mention it.

You may know the rhyme

If Candlemas day be sunny and bright,
Winter again will show its might.
If Candlemas day be cloudy and grey,
Winter soon will pass away. (Fox version)

If Candlemas day be fair and bright,
Winter will have another flight.
If Candlemas day be shower and rain,
Winter is gone and will not come again. (Traditional)

Candlemas in the Catholic Home

According to Mary Reed Newland in (The Year & Our Children: Catholic Family Celebrations for Every Season), Mary’s purification was for ceremonial cleansing, not a sin offering. That 40 days gave the new mother time to rest, recuperate, and learn how to be a mother to her infant. The prescribed period before the ceremony signified that the mother was leaving a period of weakness and recuperation and utter dependence on God. I think this law in Leviticus shows much wisdom in what it offers to new mothers.

As anyone who has ever had a baby can attest, rest after childbirth is very important and I suppose one could argue that it’s even prescribed by God! It’s so funny that our culture tends to honor the “drop that baby in the field and pick up the plow again” attitude instead of calm and rest. The media also seems to honor the mom who can get back into her skinny jeans right away instead of honoring that something profound and miraculous has happened to a mother that has changed her forever.

All of the ceremonies before mass and during mass speak of light because Jesus is the light of the world, People come to mass, and candles are distributed and blessed.

These are purifications. Malachias has said that Christ will purify us the same way, refining us by the fire of our trials, purifying us of self-love by the washing of our wills. He would have us in the wedding garments, clean and bright.”

Mary Reed Newland

Reflection

 Catholic parents can recognize the bond they share through Jesus with Mary and Joseph as they proudly brought their child to the house of the Lord. It was on that occasion that Mary heard of the future sorrows that she would face. As the mother of five grown children, a teen and a stillborn baby, I found this connection with Mary to be even more poignant. Every birth and new life is full of joys and sometimes sorrows and even our Blessed Mother experienced this.

How to Celebrate

In the past, Candlemas was the day that the garlands from Christmas were taken down because they were finally dry enough to burn. I have an artificial garland that comes down today.  I do have one garland over the fireplace that has hearts on it for Valentine’s Day this year.  It can stay up until then, but the rest comes down.

It’s a good day to reflect on the baptism of our children and our own baptisms. Look at pictures and mementos from those days.

Have a candlelight dinner tonight – even if you’re just having something simple like Mac and Cheese! It’s the atmosphere, not the feast that matters today.

It’s also Groundhog’s Day.

German immigrants to Pennsylvania brought us the legend of Groundhog’s day. The tradition of Punxsutawney residents waiting to see if the groundhog was a good predictor of the weather has been around since the 19th century.

You might know this rhyme:

If Candlemas be fair and bright, Come, Winter, have another flight; If Candlemas brings clouds and rain, Go Winter, and come not again.

A great day to watch the Bill Murray movie on Groundhog Day. This is a movie about having chances, and changing your life, even if it means living the same day over for years and years. So if you haven’t seen that movie, I recommend it! We watch it every year.

Father Lawrence Lew, OP, via Flickr, licensed cc

Other interesting links for the day.


Christmas to Candlemas in the Catholic Home

On a personal note – today is my best friend’s birthday. She is always there for me, always. No matter how long it goes between the times we talk, we always pick up right where we left off!   Happy Birthday, T!