Candlemas

It is unanimous; Shubenacadie Sam, Wiarton Willie and Punxsutawney Phil have each made the same prediction. In seeing their shadows, these three groundhogs have all predicted six more weeks of winter. Oh joy! In the Clarke-Norman household tonight, we will be celebrating our own newly declared mid-winter event - Candlemas. I arrived at this decision, and foisted it upon Greg this morning, after speaking with my Grandma yesterday afternoon. She informed me of the Anglican tradition of Candlemas that is still popular in the UK but has been overshadowed by a furry groundhog in Canada. In reading up on the holiday, I have come up with plans to modify it to make it our own.

February 2 marks the midway point between the winter solstice and spring equinox. If I worked on a farm, this would be a time to begin preparing the fields for planting. However, working in public policy, this is the time to prepare for a new session of government debate. This is a time for germination and new beginnings. One might say this is an opportunity to revive a New Year's Resolution that fell by the wayside during the snowy days of January.

Though a Christian tradition, Candlemas is part of a long line of winter celebrations to celebrate the coming of spring. For example, Candlemas is called the Blessing of the Candle of the Happy Woman (Gertyazsenteio Boidog Asszony) in Hungary and the Mother of God Who Saves Us From Thunder (Swieto Matki Boskiej Gromnicznej) in Poland.

During Candlemas, it is customary to take candles to the church to be blessed. In our own take on celebrating the midpoint of winter, Greg and I plan to light our apartment by candlelight tonight. I plan to collect all the candles in our place and light them in a central location.

I have also read that Candlemas is a time to remove Christmas decorations (a recommendation I am sure we will not head). Though I haven't yet turned my mind to what to prepare for dinner, traditional Candlemas foods include crepes, pancakes and sweet cakes. This explains to me why people often confuse Candlemas with Shrove Tuesday. This evening, with its emphasis on moving forward, is also a great opportunity to celebrate all things new and plan for new adventures. I've come across recommendations that this is also a great time to get started on spring cleaning. We will have to see about that last recommendation.

Update: The above is a photo of the candles on our dining table.