Candlemas.

[curiouswombat]

Today is Candlemas - and there is, of course, a dance for it -

Candlemas is the last day in the season of Christmas and is traditionally, in some places, when you took down the last of the Christmas decorations. It was also the day that you took your candles to church to be blessed for the year ahead - they were then to be a reminder of Christ

Comments

[seaivy]

you wrote all the things i was going to about the history of this day
but i haven't had time for this morning
Thank You
except here in the USA it is Ground Hog Day
a custom brought here by German setters in Pennsylvania

each year poor Puxatanny Phil is some how pulled out of his burrow
does he or doesn't he see his shadow is suppose to tell if it will be an early end to winter

your ritual looks wonderful!!!

my very proper Catholic Women's College in the 1950s
observed Candlemas by stacking boxes of candles in the sanctuary and having our chaplain bless them

[curiouswombat]

I am sure I read somewhere that the European tradition involved whether you could see the shadow of a hedgehog.

I have always thought that finding a hedgehog would be almost impossible at this point of the winter... until we saw the one at D-d's at the beginning of January!

[reapermum]

Round here, English midlands, we have the rhyme:
If Candlemas day is fine and bright
Winter will take another bite.
If Candlemas day has clouds and rain
Winter will not come again.

[curiouswombat]

We have had both sorts of weather today... :) Goodness knows which way it might go!

[reapermum]

It's been clear and bright all day here, great for the solar panels on the roof, but I'm going to keep my warm coat to hand.