LA CANDELARIA

Forty days after the

birth of Christ,

an important day

arrived for his

mother,

the Virgin Mary.

According to the religious customs of the time, a new mother was impure for a week after

giving birth. If the child was a boy, she would then wait a further thirty-three days (much

longer if it was a girl).

Forty days after the birth of Christ, an important day arrived for his mother, the Virgin Mary.

According to the religious customs of the time, a new mother was impure for a week after

giving birth. If the child was a boy, she would then wait a further thirty-three days (much

longer if it was a girl) before going to the Temple for the ritual of her purification and the

presentation of the child. Because of her family's poverty, Mary's offering to the Temple

would have been just a couple of pigeons or turtle doves.

Joseph would however, have had to pay five shekels to the priest - a first-born son was

symbolically offered to God, then in effect ransomed back to the father.

On their visit to the Temple, the family met a man called Simeon, who had longprophesied

that Jesus would be 'a light for revelation to the Gentiles', words that form part of his

famous prayer, the Nunc dimittis. In recognition of this light, the day of the Purification of

the Virgin, now more commonly called the Presentation of Our Lord, became associated

with candles, hence another name for it, Candlemas and in Spanish La Candelaria.

Catholic churches used to bless the year's

supply of candles on this day, the 2nd

February, and candlelit processions also

mark the occasion in some places, in

Tenerife, for example. Anyone with the

name Purificación will celebrate her

name day today.

The day is linked to some non-religious beliefs too. Hibernating animals, such as bears or

wolves, will traditionally use this day, when spring is not too far off, to emerge from their

lairs to check out the weather, as will a certain rodent in the USA, giving its name to

Groundhog Day. If these animals find that the weather is fine, it is considered a bad omen

for the weather later on before going to the Temple for the ritual of her purification and the

presentation of the child. Because of her family's poverty,

Mary's offering to the Temple would have been just a couple of pigeons or turtle doves.

Joseph would however, have had to pay five shekels to the priest - a first-born son was

symbolically offered to God, then in effect ransomed back to the father.

On their visit to the Temple, the family met a man called Simeon, who had longprophesied

that Jesus would be 'a light for revelation to the Gentiles', words that form part of his

famous prayer, the Nunc dimittis. In recognition of this light, the day of the Purification of

the Virgin, now more commonly called the Presentation of Our Lord, became associated

with candles, hence another name for it, Candlemas and in Spanish La Candelaria.

Catholic churches used to bless theyear's supply of candles on this day, the 2nd February,

and candlelit processions also mark the occasion in some places, in Tenerife, for example.

Anyone with the name Purificación will celebrate her name day today.

The day is linked to some non-religious beliefs too. Hibernating animals, such as bears or

wolves, will traditionally use this day, when spring is not too far off, to emerge from their

lairs to check out the weather, as will a certain rodent in the USA, giving its name to

Groundhog Day. If these animals find that the weather is fine, it is considered a bad omen

for the weather later on.