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C A N D L E M A S: The Light Returns
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by Mike Nichols
It seems quiteimpossible thatthe holiday ofCandlemas shouldbe
considered the beginning of Spring. Here in the Heartland, February 2nd
may see a blanket of snow mantling the Mother. Or, if the snows have gone,
you may be sure the days are filled with drizzle, slush, and steel-grey
skies -- the dreariest weather of the year. In short, the perfect time for
a Pagan Festival of Lights. And as for Spring, although this may seem a
tenuous beginning, all the little buds, flowers and leaves will have
arrived on schedule before Spring runs its course to Beltane.
'Candlemas' is theChristianized namefor theholiday, ofcourse.
The older Pagan names were Imbolc and Oimelc. 'Imbolc' means, literally,
'in the belly' (of the Mother). For in the womb of Mother Earth, hidden
from our mundane sight but sensed by a keener vision, there are stirrings.
The seed that was planted in her womb at the solstice is quickening and the
new year grows. 'Oimelc' means 'milk of ewes', for it is also lambing
season.
The holiday isalso called 'Brigit's Day',in honor of thegreat
Irish Goddess Brigit. At her shrine, the ancient Irish capitol of Kildare,
a group of 19 priestesses (no men allowed) kept a perpetual flame burning
in her honor. She was considered a goddess of fire, patroness of smith-
craft, poetry and healing (especially the healing touch of midwifery).
This tripartite symbolism was occasionally expressed by saying that Brigit
had two sisters, also named Brigit. (Incidentally, another form of the
name Brigit is Bride, and it is thus She bestows her special patronage on
any woman about to be married or handfasted, the woman being called 'bride'
in her honor.)
TheRoman Catholic Church could not very easily call the Great
Goddess of Ireland a demon, so they canonized her instead. Henceforth, she
would be 'Saint' Brigit, patron SAINT of smithcraft, poetry, and healing.
They 'explained' this by telling the Irish peasants that Brigit was
'really' an early Christian missionary sent to the Emerald Isle, and that
the miracles she performed there 'misled' the common people into believing
that she was a goddess. For some reason, the Irish swallowed this. (There
is no limit to what the Irish imagination can convince itself of. For
example, they also came to believe that Brigit was the 'foster-mother' of
Jesus, giving no thought to the implausibility of Jesus having spent his
boyhood in Ireland!)
Brigit'sholiday waschieflymarked bythekindling ofsacredfires,
since she symbolized the fire of birth and healing, the fire of the forge,
and the fire of poetic inspiration. Bonfires were lighted on the beacon
tors, and chandlers celebrated their special holiday. The Roman Church was
quick to confiscate this symbolism as well, using 'Candlemas' as the day to
bless all the church candles that would be used for the coming liturgical
year. (Catholics will be reminded that the following day, St. Blaise's
Day, is remembered for using the newly blessed candles to bless the throats
of parishioners, keeping them from colds, flu, sore throats, etc.)
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TheCatholic Church,never oneto refrainfrom pilingholiday upon
holiday, also called it the Feast of the Purification of the Blessed Virgin
Mary. (It is surprising how many of the old Pagan holidays were converted
to Maryan Feasts.) The symbol of the Purification may seem a little
obscure to modern readers, but it has to do with the old custom of
'churching women'. It was believed that women were impure for six weeks
after giving birth. And since Mary gave birth at the winter solstice, she
wouldn't be purified until February 2nd. In Pagan symbolism, this might be
re-translated as when the Great Mother once again becomes the Young Maiden
Goddess.
Today,this holidayischiefly connectedto weatherlore. Even our
American folk-calendar keeps the tradition of 'Groundhog's Day', a day to
predict the coming weather, telling us that if the Groundhog sees his
shadow, there will be 'six more weeks' of bad weather (i.e., until the next
old holiday, Lady Day). This custom is ancient. An old British rhyme
tells us that 'If Candlemas Day be bright and clear, there'll be two
winters in the year.' Actually, all of the cross-quarter days can be used
as 'inverse' weather predictors, whereas the quarter-days are used as
'direct' weather predictors.
Liketheother HighHolidays orGreat Sabbatsof theWitches' year,
Candlemas is sometimes celebrated on it's alternate date, astrologically
determined by the sun's reaching 15-degrees Aquarius, or Candlemas Old
Style (in 1988, February 3rd, at 9:03 am CST). Another holiday that gets
mixed up in this is Valentine's Day. Ozark folklorist Vance Randolf makes
this quite clear by noting that the old-timers used to celebrate
Groundhog's Day on February 14th. This same displacement is evident in
Eastern Orthodox Christianity as well. Their habit of celebrating the
birth of Jesus on January 6th, with a similar post-dated shift in the
six-week period that follows it, puts the Feast of the Purification of Mary
on February 14th. It is amazing to think that the same confusion and
lateral displacement of one of the old folk holidays can be seen from the
Russian steppes to the Ozark hills, but such seems to be the case!
Incidentally,there isspeculation amonglinguisticscholars that
the very name of 'Valentine' has Pagan origins. It seems that it was
customary for French peasants of the Middle Ages to pronounce a 'g' as a
'v'. Consequently, the original term may have been the French 'galantine',
which yields the English word 'gallant'. The word originally refers to a
dashing young man known for his 'affaires d'amour', a true galaunt. The
usual associations of V(G)alantine's Day make much more sense in this light
than their vague connection to a legendary 'St. Valentine' can produce.
Indeed, the Church has always found it rather difficult to explain this
nebulous saint's connection to the secular pleasures of flirtation and
courtly love.
For modern Witches, CandlemasO.S. may thenbe seen as thePagan
version of Valentine's Day, with a de-emphasis of 'hearts and flowers' and
an appropriate re-emphasis of Pagan carnal frivolity. This also re-aligns
the holiday with the ancient Roman Lupercalia, a fertility festival held at
this time, in which the priests of Pan ran through the streets of Rome
whacking young women with goatskin thongs to make them fertile. The women
seemed to enjoy the attention and often stripped in order to afford better
targets.
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Oneof the nicestfolk-customs stillpracticed inmany countries,
and especially by Witches in the British Isles and parts of the U.S., is to
place a lighted candle in each and every window of the house, beginning at
sundown on Candlemas Eve (February 1st), allowing them to continue burning
until sunrise. Make sure that such candles are well seated against tipping
and guarded from nearby curtains, etc. What a cheery sight it is on this
cold, bleak and dreary night to see house after house with candle-lit
windows! And, of course, if you are your Coven's chandler, or if you just
happen to like making candles, Candlemas Day is THE day for doing it. Some
Covens hold candle-making parties and try to make and bless all the candles
they'll be using for the whole year on this day.
Othercustoms ofthe holidayinclude weaving'Brigit's crosses'
from straw or wheat to hang around the house for protection, performing
rites of spiritual cleansing and purification, making 'Brigit's beds' to
ensure fertility of mind and spirit (and body, if desired), and making
Crowns of Light (i.e. of candles) for the High Priestess to wear for the
Candlemas Circle, similar to those worn on St. Lucy's Day in Scandinavian
countries. All in all, this Pagan Festival of Lights, sacred to the young
Maiden Goddess, is one of the most beautiful and poetic of the year.
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