Another tradition holds that anyone who hears funeral bells tolling on Candlemas the skies started to clear and the temp dropped quickly, hard the blue of the sky was that white blue of deep cold folks who live outside the confines of microclimate in town and out in the open to wind chill temps, report forecasted below zero temps calves and baby livestock surrounds me by those who go out into this all, to ensure herd health farmers with overwintered crops planted last fall, doubt whether winter moisture will show up as needed for next falls harvest bounty and so, in new life, on flora and fauna? It was sunny and bright, though it offered only a vague warmth today. Copyright 2023 NPR. This custom of trusting a hibernating animal to prognosticate the arrival of spring is believed to have European roots and, incidentally, falls on the same day as the Christian feast of Candlemas. Well, we may not be able to join in the procession with lighted candles today, but why not on Tuesday the day of the feast of Candlemas itself light a candle and say a prayer as we thank God for the light that Jesus gives us. The day fine enough but the walking very rough. Attended at the Cathedral in the morning at the ceremonies of Candlemas Day .. A traditional Candlemas poem goes: If Candlemas be fair and. Kids showed . On Candlemas day if thorns hang a drop, You can be sure of a good pea crop. lighting of candles, as slightly longer days begin to be noticeable at this In the diaries of Edward Morris,Mr. Morris observed on February 2, 1871. A light for me, a light for you. Here in southern B.C., we usually experience only a few days of snow, but this year it lasted over a month. Candlemas became an important date to these Christians in the centuries following their conversion. BBC 2014 The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. There are many weather rhymes associated with the festival. Solstice and the Spring Equinox. If Candlemas brings clouds and rain, Winter will not come again.. Candlemas, Imbolc, or Brigid's Day is celebrated February 2nd (the mid-point between the Winter Solstice and Spring Equinox). The groundhog is a woodchuck. The sun is nice today; Id like more of that, please, Im ready to laze in the hot place with a book. As we consider the feast of the Presentation, we remember that our parents presented us at church for our baptism. This day also marks the ritual presentation of the baby Jesus to God in the Temple at Jerusalem. This festival Jews at the time of Jesus, like most cultures, had their own particular laws and customs surrounding child-birth. On that feast day, clergy would bless and distribute all the candles needed for winter and over time the focus of the day became increasingly about predicting how long winter would last. So Im starting this morning witha quiz question for you. All have the same theme: sunny and cold is bad news, windy and wet is good. He is the light who came into this world to dispel sin and darkness. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. Sisters at the Edge of the World Press Release, Roman Aberdeenshire features in authors new book, http://writingafterdark.net/2014/02/06/the-versatile-blogger-award/, If Candlemas Day is clear and bright Ailish Sinclair | Ups Downs Family History, Ailish Sinclair Featured Blogger of the Week February 4, 2022 | Ups Downs Family History, A Day Off From Writing: the Characters Relief, Contemporary Romance and Historical Fiction. Despite lack of badgers this tradition crossed the Atlantic and became Groundhog Day. It's not only groundhogs that are getting in on the fun. More than several/a few/a couple of you have asked. If Candlemas Day is clear and bright, winter will have another bite. They immediately return for another sleep if it is sunny on 2 February because they know the winter will continue. In the diaries of Edward Morris,Mr. Morris observed on, The Sale of Obscene Pencils in Chance Cove, World Photo Day and Newfoundland and Labrador Collections, Lady Day Fish; August 15th in Newfoundland. The festival was formerly known in the Roman Catholic church as the Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary but is now known as the Presentation of the Lord. Some of the best insights into the history of families and communities in this province can be garnered from the pages of the hundreds of diaries that have been deposited into archives in the province. So he's able to confirm that while Groundhog Day is pegged to Candlemas, it also coincides with the time of year when groundhogs in the northeastern U.S. start to emerge. This day also used to have great significance on the calendar, because the date lies half way between the winter solstice and the spring equinox, so it marks the day upon which winter is half over! "If Candlemas be fair and bright, Winter has another flight. Nice post, the quote out of Sisters on the Edge Of The World was powerful. Please consider upgrading your browser software or enabling style sheets (CSS) if you are able to do so. It is amusing that our issues back on February 2, 1871 are much the same. Therefore, as a light, each of us must bear witness to Our Lord. If Candlemas Day brings cloud and rain, Winter will not come again. (Traditional). For 40 days for a boy, and 60 days for a girl, women weren't allowed to worship in the temple. Candlemas Traditions. If Candlemas Day be fair and bright, Winter will take another flight; If Candlemas Day be foul and rain, Winter is gone and won't come again. Both rhymes mean that if it is nice on Candlemas Day you can expect six more weeks of yucky, winter weather, if it isn't nice on Candlemas Day, the weather should get nicer. At Christmas we celebrate the birth of Jesus the Word made flesh. If Candlemas bring clouds and rain, Go winter, and come not again. On Groundhog Day, the fate of spring is determined in the quaint town of Punxsutawney, Pa. In America, Protestants decided we should replace Catholic Candlemas Day with Groundhog Day. The Gospel of Luke says that Jesus was met by Anna and Simeon. If Candlemas brings clouds and rain, Winter will not come again. Allow us to elucidate. The Messiah that had been promised to Gods people for so long is now born as one of us. Simeon, who is the personification of Ancient Israel and the Old Covenant and Jesus, the baby in his arms, who is the personification of the New Israel, the New Covenant. In Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, a groundhog known as "Punxsutawney Phil" predicts the weather every 2nd February: "According to legend, if Phil sees his shadow on Feb. 2, the scared groundhog returns to his burrow and the USA is in store for six more weeks of winter. so forth weren't removed there would be a death among the congregation Winter will not come again. Feeling the sun on my face, without the usual buffeting wind, was a good reminder that the Earth is turning and spring is on its way. For this reason, traditionally at least since the seventh century, candles have been blessed at Mass this day that will be used throughout the year, hence coining the term Candlemas.. Those are the words of an old English poem which helped inspire a tradition that takes place here in the U.S. every Feb. 2, dating back to 1887. after his birth (as Jewish custom required), and the purification ceremony #ballet #ballerina, Scottish wild cherry trees were traditionally asso, Sisters at the Edge of the World - Historical N. This website uses cookies to improve your experience. The verb to present (paristanai) also means to offer, which evokes Jesus being presented as the priest who will offer Himself as the perfect sacrifice to free us from the slavery of sin, seal the new and eternal covenant with His blood, and open the gates to the true promised land of heaven. Go hereto sign up for occasional emails that always include some exclusive photos and news of my writing and life. If Candlemas day be sunny and bright, Winter again will show its might. You will have to wait until Tuesday to see what the weather is like and find out whether if the old rhymes are right winter is over or not. Second, Candlemas Day also was important in the lives of farmers. Thats good news for you over the pond. Dull. Simeon held the baby Jesus and called him a Light to the World. Well, while you try and think of all the different titles for February 2nd, and Ill be amazed if anyone can get all five, Ill start to work my way through them. Morris when writing in his diary about Candlemas he also wrote:The day fine enough but the walking very rough.. If Candlemas Day brings cloud and rain, winter . Some people thought that they provided protection against . Its been an odd winter, very dark but with none of the usual bright and dramatic snow of Scotland. If Candlemas brings clouds and rain, Winter will not come again." get nicer. If Candlemas day be dry and fair, "But the idea of watching animals and whether they see their shadow out of hibernation had been going on before that, it just hadn't turned into a public festival until later in the 19th century.". Why, then, do we continue looking to creatures for answers on Feb. 2, year after year after year? For in the Christian Church this event in the life of the Holy Family was first celebrated regularly from about 350 AD in Jerusalem. Blumstein says all animals, not just the prognosticators, deserve respect. He said: This is the mystery we celebrate today, that the Light has come and has shone upon a world enveloped in shadow; the Dayspring from on high has visited us and given light to those who were sitting in darkness. Spring is just around the corner. (Traditional) Spiritual Awakening: Spirit Within Latin Mass Society - Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Today is Candlemas, when, according to folklore, the weather is supposed to predict the conditions for the rest of the winter: If Candlemas Day be fair and bright, Winter will have another flight, But So winter: snow properly, or let spring through. If Candlemas be fair and bright, Come winter, have another flight. marked the mid-way point between the Winter The sun is nice today; I'd like more of that, please, I'm ready to laze in the hot place with a book. Down with the holly, ivy, all, The mother continued to stay at home for 33 days for her blood to be purified. / If Candlemas brings clouds and rain, / Go, Winter, and come not again." So if the bright sun "overshadows" the brightness of Candlemas Day, there will be more winter. Day celebrated on the same date. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. If Candlemas Day be fair and bright celebrates the presentation of Christ in the Temple in Jerusalem 40 days I wonder if any of my sermons will still be read 14 centuries from now? Groundhog and woodchuck are both names for the grizzled, thickset marmot that is known in biological classification as Marmota monax and that is found principally in the northeastern United States and in Canada. And there are more furry forecasters out there too. I heard it from my bed half a mile away. The Irish have a Gaelic hag who can make 2 February sunny so that she can gather plenty of sticks for her fire for the rest of a long winter. Read the articleRoman Aberdeenshire features in authors new bookfrom Grampian Online. "And what we're finding is there's sort of an optimal period that you should be active. "Groundhog Day is really a holiday about sex," he adds. This redemption was a kind of payment for the Passover sacrifice, by which the Jews had been freed from slavery. If Candlemas Day brings cloud and rain, Winter won't come again.' The history of candles is also a significant part of the festival. The price for such a redemption was five shekels, which the parents paid to the priest. We leave you with some facts and a question. For this reason, Blessed John Paul II began the custom of keeping the Nativity scene in St. Peters square until Feb. 2. It appears that the practice of blessing candles was frowned upon after the Reformation, with Archbishop Thomas Cranmer writing to Bishop Bonner on 27th January 1548 informing him that the Lord Protector has decided "that no candles should be borne upon Candlemas Day, nor also from henceforth ashes or palms used any longer." It was seen as superstitious. (Fox version), If Candlemas day be fair and bright, Winter will have another flight. late? the birth and nursing of the spring lambs as a sign of the first stirrings Still, he says there's a lot humans can learn from groundhogs' behavior. But, if he doesn't see his shadow, the country can expect warmer temperatures and an early spring." Candles were blessed in church services and then carried around the parish, their light symbolising Christ lighting the way for his followers and harking back to Simeon's words, when he blessed the Christ child and his parents in the temple, recorded in the Gospel of Luke about Christ being "A light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel". If Candlemas be fair and bright, Come, Winter, have another flight; If Candlemas brings clouds and rain, Go Winter, and come not again. Streets frozen again but no cold such as we have had. Hence its title in the Church of Englands 1662 Book of Common Prayer of the Purification of Mary the Blessed Virgin. Nowhere in the Churchs celebrations throughout Christmas do we see this more clearly than in this feast which marks the end of the Christmas season, as Simeon proclaims Jesus to be a light for all the nations. of winter, with the promise of spring to come. Plus, if it is sunny out, marmots are theoretically big enough to cast a shadow by standing up. 4, Rare and Amusing Insults: Cockalorum, Snollygoster, and More, 'Couple,' 'Few,' and 'Several': The (Mostly) Definitive Guide. How disorienting to stand among high boughs and look through to what was the ground, upended like the tree: The world on its side. So, to our gospel reading. Groundhog Day is celebrated on February 2nd and dictates that if a groundhog emerges from hibernation to see its shadow, and retreats, six more weeks of winter are ahead. On January 1, 1851 he began to keep a daily diary that he continued until his death on3April1887. So if the bright sun overshadows the brightness of Candlemas Day, there will be more winter. evolved into Groundhog We must be the beacon that guides others to Christ. A light for all people, in all ages, in all places, no matter who they are. In summer it can reach unbearable temperatures. Some people believe that the Celtic Sabbat of Imbolc, The wax was allowed to drip on the head (hat) and shoulders and on the shoes of the children.
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