Germany went a step further by making animals specifically hedgehogs part of the proceedings. the birth and nursing of the spring lambs as a sign of the first stirrings marked the mid-way point between the Winter There was a brief moment of sunshine on Candlemas Day 2 February but any animal emerging from hibernation would have been lucky to surface at the right moment to see its shadow. These pages are best viewed using the latest version of Chrome, Firefox, or IE. An old English song goes: If Candlemas be fair and bright, Come winter, have another flight; If Candlemas bring clouds and rain, Go winter, and come not again. A traditional Candlemas poem showcases this same idea of sunny weather being a bad omen: If Candlemas be fair and bright, Then Winter will have another flight; If Candlemas brings clouds and rain . If Candlemas Day brings cloud and rain, winter won't come again", is perhaps the best known. 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. Copyright 2023 NPR. Today, in the Church, we celebrate Candlemas but its no good checkingtodaysweather against the rhyme. Down with the bays and mistletoe; Copyright The Learn English Network - All Rights Reserved. If Candlemas Day brings cloud and rain, winter won't come again", is perhaps the best known. New Englanders who lived in old houses used to watch the cracks and crevices in their walls on February 2. Legend & Lore | Punxsutawney Groundhog club The date is significant because it is half way between the winter solstice and spring equinox. And that tradition of processing with candles on this day is a very old one. not entirely without sense. We must be the beacon that guides others to Christ. disaster and let's face it, given the frequency of severe storms in February, this is Candlemas Day is another name for the feast of the Presentation of the Lord. If Candlemas Day brings cloud and rain, winter is gone and wont come again. Some people believe that the Celtic Sabbat of Imbolc, He thinks over time there will be "some happy ground" and that may already be the case in Punxsutawney. They made a mark where the farthest sun ray penetrated, believing that was how far the snow . The price for such a redemption was five shekels, which the parents paid to the priest. of winter, with the promise of spring to come. of spring in the middle of winter. More than several/a few/a couple of you have asked. If Candlemas be cloud and snow, Winter will be gone and not come again. A large industrial centre situated in Dolny lsk (Lower Silesia), Wrocaw is the fourth largest city in Poland. The story about the animal spotting its shadow comes from a German tradition about badgers. It made me think about the passage and circle of time, of the constancy of the land on which we live and the transient nature of human life. The ceremony of Candlemas Day, a ritual celebratedthroughout the Christian world that Mr. Morris observed was the blessing of the annual supply of the Churchs candles. Solstice and the Spring Equinox. Candlemas - The Tudor Society You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. for the ceremony called the Purification. 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 year that is dated by reference to Christmas; In And usually at St Johns, like many churches around the world, we mark this day with a procession around the church with candles. Its the same tradition that is celebrated in the old English rhyme which also gives us the second of the five titles: If Candlemas Day be fair and bright,Winter will have another flight;If Candlemas Day be wind and rain,Winter has gone and will not come again. On the eighth day, the boy was circumcised. While some people consider groundhogs a nuisance because they like to snack on garden produce, he thinks living with urban and suburban wildlife is a good thing as it brings people closer to nature. PublishedFebruary 2, 2023 at 4:11 AM CST. In Christian belief this festival Something shared (winter) on a completely different note, considering I live in Mexico. Blumstein says all animals, not just the prognosticators, deserve respect. This "interpretation" of Candlemas Day became the norm for most of Europe. Teach the Candlemas ditty, If Candlemas be fair and bright . Such verse alludes to the notion of animalshistorically, groundhogs, hedgehogs, badgers, bearsdeciding to end or prolong their winter's sleep according to the weather. #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. One tradition associated with Candlemas is the idea that the weather on Candlemas Day is a predictor of whether winter is nearly over: If Candlemas be fair and bright, Come winter, have another flight; If Candlemas bring clouds and rain, Go winter, and come not again. February 2nd: Groundhog Day or Candlemas? - Building Faith Its a day when we think about the weather. Our Autumn/Spring will begin soon , Ive nominated you for a Versatile Blogger Award : Forty days after His birth, Mary and Joseph brought Jesus to the temple for the rites of purification and dedication as prescribed by the Torah. It is believed to be an alteration of either the Ojibwa otchig or the Cree otcheck, both of which mean "fisher" or "marten.". The day fine enough but the walking very rough. What is Candlemas Day? - Catholic Straight Answers There is some scientific basis for the Candlemas lore, according to Blumstein. Therefore, as a light, each of us must bear witness to Our Lord. 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. Edward Morris was a businessman, politician, and office-holder; born in 1813 at Waterford (Republic of Ireland). And if this saying is true, there's hope for that. In England, they used a hedgehog as a meteorologist; in Germany, a badger. Many of us love a good quiz. http://writingafterdark.net/2014/02/06/the-versatile-blogger-award/. After many years in the Diocese of Southwark we are now enjoying life on the south coast of England in the Diocese of Chichester. People believed that Candlemas predicted the weather for the rest of the winter. My mum came out with the Doric version yesterday, one day I dont think I would mind snow! "If Candlemas be fair and bright, come winter, have another flight. I almost miss having to dig my way into the woodshed (almost, not really; it was fairly tortuous, and nasty when ice dripped down your neck too). Theyre a more intimate space than the blog. You can draw the same conclusion by simply looking out a window in Punxsutawney on February 2. And their firstborn Son was presented in the Temple to God. This was the first time it lit up this year, fitting then that its Groundhog Day (wiki), Candlemas (wiki) and Imbolc (wiki). In summer it can reach unbearable temperatures. evolved into Groundhog Various traditions developed about Candlemas, including the following: Weather Predictions Candlemas was the day when some cultures predicted weather patterns. Then there was a procession in which people carried lighted candles while the choir sang. From the Archives What did Tudor people sound like? How every letter can be (annoyingly) silent. The feast later spread to the Western church, but as a feast of Mary rather than of Jesus, because Mary needed to go to the Temple to be purified. Read more. So there also could be evolutionary responses to this, and what we're really looking at is the evolutionary response to changes over time and the sort of within-generational plasticity, flexibility, if you will.". Candlemas Traditions. Candlemas Day (the Christian festival of lights ) The "Punxsutawney Groundhog Club" was founded in 1886 by a group of groundhog hunters, one of whom was the editor of the town's newspaper and quickly published a proclamation about its local weather prognosticating groundhog (though Phil didn't get his name until 1961). We rejoice that God, in the person of Jesus, has come into our world. Candlemas commemorates the ritual purification of Mary, 40 days after the birth of her son Jesus. What is Groundhog Day? | Grammarly The groundhog is a woodchuck. 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. Three loud cracks sounded as its branches broke. These candles would be taken out and lit during a gale or storm. Read the articleRoman Aberdeenshire features in authors new bookfrom Grampian Online. The English name, 'Candlemas, refers to the custom of blessing How Groundhog Day History Involves Eating the Groundhog | Time Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. Walk always as a child of the light and keep the flame of faith alive in your heart. On Candlemas night, many people place lighted candles in their windows at home. 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. Candlemas and the Presentation in the Temple - NCR (One could say it's almost like the 1993 comedy "Groundhog Day" or even exactly like that.). A rhyme called "Ceremony upon Candlemas Eve" by Robert Herrick (1591 - 1674) If Candlemas Day be fair and bright Despite lack of badgers this tradition crossed the Atlantic and became Groundhog Day. The Celtic tradition of Imbolc, which involves lighting candles at the start of February, goes as far back as the 10th century A.D. This Tuesday is February 2nd. time of year. Spring is just around the corner. / 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. We leave you with some facts and a question. "If Candlemas Day be fair and bright, winter will have another fight. In the Anglican church, it is called the Presentation of Christ at the Temple in Jerusalem. The sun is nice today; Id like more of that, please, Im ready to laze in the hot place with a book. before the year was out. Yes February 2ndis, of course, Groundhog Day! According to North American folklore, if a groundhog emerges fromor is coaxed fromits burrow, where it has been dreamily hibernating, on February 2 (which is about midway between the winter solstice and the spring equinox), then sees its shadow and subsequently retreats into its burrow, the sleepy rodent of the squirrel family thereby presages six more weeks of wintery weather. "If Candlemas Day be fair and bright, winter will have another fight. A beautiful post. goes:-, "Down with the rosemary, and so Candlemas, given its occurrence in the beginning of February, also became a day on which people would prognosticate the arrival of spring according to its sunny or cloudy skies, as the lyrics of one old English song goes, "If Candlemas be fair and bright, / Come, Winter, have another flight; / If Candlemas bring clouds and rain, / Go, Winter, and come not again."
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