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by Sharon Ely Pearson

On February 2, exactly 40 days after Christmas, we commemorate Mary’s obedience to the Mosaic law by submitting herself to the Temple for the ritual purification, as commanded in Leviticus 12:2-8. Also, after forty days was the time when a firstborn was brought to the Temple to be dedicated to the Lord (Exodus 13: 2-12).  The Gospel reading for The Feast of the Presentation (February 2) is “And when the time came for their purification according to the law of Moses, they brought him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord.” (Luke 2:22-40) Simeon held the baby in his arms and said that he would be a light for the Gentiles (Luke 2:32).

In Christian communities today, it continues to be a day of purification, renewal, and hope. Some call the day Candlemas, (Candle Mass), which comes from the activities associated with the feast. Often local churches hand out candles, or people bring their own, to be blessed. After an antiphon, during which the candles held by the people are lighted, there is a procession into the church. During the procession to the church, the Nunc Dimittis is sung, replicating the words that Simeon proclaimed. In Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches, the procession into the church for Mass commemorates Christ’s entrance into the temple.

Various superstitions and traditions developed about Candlemas, including:

• The belief that if one does not take down Christmas decorations by Candlemas, traces of the holly and berries will bring about the death of the person involved. (In past times, Candlemas was seen as the end of the Christmas season.)
• It was also the day when some cultures predicted weather patterns. Farmers believed that the remainder of winter would be the opposite of whatever the weather was like on Candlemas Day. An old English song goes: If Candlemas be fair and bright,
 Come winter, have another flight;
 If Candlemas bring clouds and rain,
 Go winter, and come not again. Thus if the sun cast a shadow on Candlemas day, more winter was on the way; if there was no shadow, winter was thought to be ending soon. This practice led to the folklore behind “Groundhog Day,” which falls on February 2.
• It is traditional to eat crepes (pancakes) on Candlemas in some parts of Europe, such as France. Each family member prepares and cooks a crepe while holding a coin in hand. This is believed to assure wealth and happiness until the next Candlemas celebration. Another tradition involves taking turns to flip the pancake with a neat flick of the wrist, deftly manoeuvring the pan with the right hand while holding a gold coin in the left.  It mustn’t fall, stick to the ceiling or come back down in shreds. Achieving this little acrobatic feat successfully will bring happiness. In one old superstition, besides just flipping the first pancake while holding a gold coin, the pancake then had to be rolled around the coin. This little package was then carried in procession by the whole family and placed at the top of the wardrobe of the eldest member of the household, where, it was said, it wouldn’t mold. The remains of last year’s pancake were then removed and the coin inside given to the first poor person who passed by.
• Candlemas is also known as Candelaria in Spanish speaking countries. Whoever finds baby figures hidden inside the Rosca de Reyes (Kings Cake) on Epiphany (January 6) is obliged to bring food to a gathering held on February 2.
• February 2 occurs at a period between the December solstice and the March equinox, so many people traditionally marked that time of the year as winter’s “halfway point” while waiting for the spring.

Snowdrops (galanthas nivalis) are known as Candlemas Bells because they often bloom early in the year, even before Candlemas.  According to folklore, an angel helped these Candlemas bells to bloom and pointed them as a sign of hope to Eve, who wept in repentance and in despair over the cold and death that entered the world. Many Christians see the flower as a symbol of Jesus Christ being this hope for the world. Candles that are lit during Candlemas also symbolize Jesus as the “light of the world”.

Can any of these traditions be used in your church or educational programs to commemorate Jesus’ Presentation in the Temple or the season of Epiphany as one in which Jesus comes as a “light to the world”?