Candlemas/Imbolc

Sweet, 2-for-1. Let's see what what we have here...

Candlemas
Candlemas is also known as the Feast of the Presentation of Jesus at the Temple. This is the day when Mary went to the Temple in Jerusalem to purify herself 40 days after giving birth. According to Jewish tradition, a woman who gave birth to a male child was considered unclean for 7 days. She was also supposed to spend three and thirty days "in the blood of her purification." After those 40 days, the woman needed to make a trip to the temple to receive ritual purification.

Upon presenting Jesus at the temple, they encountered Simeon the Righteous, who had been told by God that he would not die until seeing the Messiah. Simeon then prayed the prayer later known as the Canticle of Simeon, which told of Jesus' redemption of mankind.

The name Candlemas comes from the Western tradition of priests blessing beeswax candles and passing them out to parishioners for use in the home. This is also the day that Christan greenery was to be taken down, because failing to do so would result in death. It is also considered a bad omen to hear a bell toll on this date, signifying the death of a friend or relative. It is also believed that good weather on this date will mean a difficult resulting winter, and vice versa.

Imbolc
Imbolc is tied in with the end of winter and beginning of spring. It is a festival of light, fire, and purification. It is associated with teh goddess Brigid (Celtic goddess of poetry, healing, and smithcraft). This is also the day that people would watch for serpents and badgers to come out of their burrows to see what the weather for the following months would be like.

Traditionally, a cornhusk doll representing Brigid would be made by the unmarried women of the household prior to the holiday and given its own bed to sleep in. On January 31st (St. Brigid's Eve) the women would stay up all night tending to the doll. The following day the young men of the village would come to the houses and ask permission to enter. They would have to treat the women and dolls with respect while at the house.

Brigid is said to walk the earth this night, so it is customary to leave a piece of cloth outside to be blessed. The head of the household will smother the fire and smooth the ashes. The following morning, the ashes are checked for signs of being disturbed (showing Brigid was there). All cloth left out the night before is now considered blessed to have powers of haling and protection.

My Celebration
So, not much in the way of celebrations for this. A feast for the Christians and blessings for the pagans. No feasting, though I did actually buy myself something to eat while I was out and about today. No clothes left out for blessing, and no fire to spread the ashes from. I could have left something out to be blessed, but don't know how safe it would be to do that without fear of someone stealing my blessed cloth. Sad that I have to be this untrusting.

I do find it interesting that the two religious holidays falling on this date are very closely related, and directly led to the Groundhog Day celebrations we all know and love.