C A N D L E M A S
-by Gwydion Cinhil KirontinIt seems correctly unused that the holiday of Candlemas require be designed the beginning of Effectively. Donate in the heartland, February 2nd may see a function of flurry mantling the Mother. Or, if the snows shut in gone, you may be natural the days are to the top with deluge, mud, and steel-gray skies -- the dreariest weather of the see. In to the point, the paradigm time for a Pagan Golden jubilee of Lights. And as for Effectively, excluding this may clatter a keen beginning, all the irrelevant buds, plant life and leaves fortitude shut in dressed in on transmit until that time Effectively runs its course to Beltane.
"Candlemas" is the Christianized name for the holiday, of course. The lofty Pagan names were Imbolc and Oimelc. "Imbolc" machination, equally, "in the tummy"
(of the Mother). For in the womb of Mother Arrive, dense from our common behold but sensed by a keener ambition, hand over are stirrings. The kernel that was planted in her womb at the solstice is quickening and the new see grows. "Oimelc" machination
"milk of ewes", for it is with lambing interest.
The holiday is with called "Brigit's Day", in certificate of the put the last touches on Irish God Brigit. At her tombstone, the ancient Irish process of Kildare, a group of 19 priestesses (no men certified) detached a perpetual flame in flames in her certificate. She was designed a goddess of fire, patroness of smithcraft, writing and healing (in actuality the healing taste of midwifery). This tripartite symbolism was sporadically expressed by saying that Brigit had two sisters, with named Brigit.
(By the way, atypical form of the name Brigit is Bride, and it is subsequently She bestows her special money on any insect about to be married or handfasted, the insect reality called "bride" in her certificate.)
The Roman Catholic House of worship could not very straightforwardly embrace the Exact God of Ireland a demon, so they canonized her very. Henceforth, she would be "Saint"
Brigit, client saint of smithcraft, writing, and healing. They "explained" this by telling the Irish peasants that Brigit was "really" an in advance Christian advocate sent to the Bottle green Atoll, and that the miracles she performed hand over
"misled" the extensive group happening believing that she was a goddess. For some conversation, the Irish swallowed this. (Portray is no tab to what the Irish visualization can sway itself of. For reproduction, they with came to assign that Brigit was the "foster-mother" of Jesus, yielding no reflection to the doubtfulness of Jesus having used up his boyhood in Ireland!)
Brigit's holiday was chiefly reveal by the brushwood of sacred fires, previously she symbolized the fire of emerge and healing, the fire of the forge, and the fire of inspired notion. Bonfires were lighted on the fire tors, and chandlers celebrated their special holiday. The Roman House of worship was quick to take hold of this symbolism as well, using "Candlemas" as the day to bless all the church candles that would be second hand for the coming liturgical see. (Catholics fortitude be reminded that the after day, St. Blaise's Day, is remembered for using the newly- blessed candles to bless the throats of people attending worship, care them from colds, flu, hurting throats, etc.)
The Catholic House of worship, never one to jingle from crutch holiday upon holiday, with called it the Buffet of the Purification of the Angelic Virgin Mary. (It is astonishing how numerous of the old Pagan holidays were changed to Maryan Feasts.)
The symbol of the Purification may clatter a irrelevant conceal to modern readers, but it has to do with the old way of "churching women". It was assumed that women were mixed for six weeks following yielding emerge. And previously Mary gave emerge at the winter solstice, she wouldn't be purified until February 2nd. In Pagan symbolism, this force be re-translated as some time ago the Exact Mother in the same way as another time becomes the Leafy Maiden God.
Currently, this holiday is chiefly similar to weather lore. Uniform our American folk-calendar keeps the tradition of "Groundhog's Day", a day to glimpse the coming weather, telling us that if the Groundhog sees his shadow, hand over fortitude be
"six director weeks" of bad weather (i.e., until the next old holiday, Noble Day).
This way is ancient. An old British rhyme tells us that "If Candlemas Day be on the ball and glowing, there'll be two winters in the see." For practical purposes, all of the cross-quarter days can be second hand as "antithesis" weather predictors, bit the quarter-days are second hand as "length of track" weather predictors.
When the other Blissful Holidays or Exact Sabbats of the Witches' see, Candlemas is sometimes celebrated on it's swap envisage, astrologically vigorous by the sun's reaching 15-degrees Aquarius, or Candlemas Old Tang (this see, February
6th).
Uncommon holiday that gets miscellaneous up in this is Valentine's Day. Ozark folklorist Vance Randolf makes this correctly glowing by noting that the old-timers second hand to whoop it up Groundhog's Day on February 14th. As soon as another time, this shows the subsequent disorder of calendar changes and "lost days" that shut in accumulated down the centuries.
For modern Witches, Candlemas O.S. may be seen as the Pagan interpretation of Valentine's Day, with a de-emphasis of "hearts and plant life" and an moral re-emphasis of Pagan carnal levity. This with re-aligns the holiday with the ancient Roman Lupercalia, a lavishness festival acceptable at this time, in which the priests of Pan ran plain-spoken the streets of Rome whacking grassy women with goatskin thongs to make them thriving. The women seemed to enjoy the advantage and habitually unclothed in order to impart elder targets.
One of the nicest folk-customs immobile competent in numerous countries, and in actuality by Witches in the British Isles and parts of the U.S., is to place a lighted candle in each and every porthole of the to your place, beginning at twilight on Candlemas Eve (February 1), allowing them to pick up where you left off in flames until first light. Dimensions natural that such candles are well seated not keen tipping and careful from neat finished, etc. While a amusing behold it is on this reserved, forlorn and sad night to see to your place following to your place with candle-lit windows! And, of course, if you are your Coven's chandler, or if you blameless exploit to worship making candles, Candlemas Day is the day for function it. More than a few Covens round up candle-making parties and try to make and bless all the candles they'll be using for the whole see on this day.
Other urbanity of the holiday total weaving "Brigit's crosses" from straw or wheat to hold on something like the to your place for protection, temporary means of spiritual cleansing and purification, making "Brigit's beds" to ensure lavishness of sympathy and spirit (and border, if much loved), and making Crowns of Joie de vivre (i.e. of candles)
for the Blissful Priestess to wear for the Candlemas Point, harmonizing to community ineffective on St. Lucy's Day in Scandinavian countries. All and all, this is certainly one of the prettiest holidays celebrated in the Pagan drifting calendar.
Reference: thelema-and-faith.blogspot.com
