Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced searchad free! And a tradition which in normal times we keep at St Johns in common with Christians around the world as we celebrate the light of Jesus in our lives. Many parts of the U.S. and Canada now have their own beloved animal prognosticators, with some of Phil's better-known contemporaries including New York's "Staten Island Chuck" (aka Charles G. Hogg) and Ontario's "Wiarton Willie.". I wonder what Phil will predict this year! That may or may not be true who knows? Then, to complete this time of purification she was required to offer a sacrifice for her purification on the 40thday following the birth of a boy, which is why Mary and Joseph went to the Temple. Learn a new word every day. 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. That is still true in the Church today, but most of us have put Christmas behind us long before Candlemas. There is something magical that happens with the light of the sunset and snow. But that alone doesn't make them reliable forecasters. http://writingafterdark.net/2014/02/06/the-versatile-blogger-award/. You can draw the same conclusion by simply looking out a window in Punxsutawney on February 2. The story about the animal spotting its shadow comes from a German tradition about badgers. These cookies do not store any personal information. In the time of Jesus and the Jewish Law with its rules on what was clean and unclean, it was thought that a mother needed cleansing after the birth of a child. Delivered to your inbox! So the focus is on Jesus consecration to God. "Any place that has a groundhog these days is trying to get some [cred] by it," Blumstein says. In the Anglican church, it is called the Presentation of Christ at the Temple in Jerusalem. The Irish have a Gaelic. In fact, the feast of the Presentation of Jesus thats title number three counting Christmas Day as day one, is kept 40 days after Christmas as it has been since the 4thcentury. The continual rain, mud and roof leakages have made the season seem long and arduous. Eat your supper by the light of the day. We rejoice that God, in the person of Jesus, has come into our world. And because hedgehogs aren't native to the U.S., they turned to groundhogs (which were plentiful in Pennsylvania) instead. . Also, Joseph and Mary were obliged by the Torah to redeem their first born son: The Lord spoke to Moses and said, Consecrate to me every first-born that opens the womb among the Israelites, both of man and beast, for it belongs to me (Ex 13:1). The half o' winter gane at Yule. According to folklore then, the worst of the winter is over. be taken too seriously! In Christian belief this festival As the Wells Cathedral website explains, "The season of Christmas, which includes the celebration of the visit of the wise men to the child at Epiphany, lasts for forty days and ends with the Feast of Candlemas on 2nd February." There are many weather rhymes associated with the festival. Loved it.. It is a traditional Spring festival that marks the end of Winter and the return of the Light, who in ancient times was personified by the . The groundhog is a woodchuck. Wherewith ye dress'd the Christmas Hall.". Even before our friends the groundhogs got involved, Candlemas was associated with predicting when spring would come. 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. Similarly, an old Scottish rhyme is "If Candlemas Day is bright and clear, / There'll be twa winters in the year." / 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. Also, we must realize that we, too, will be a sign that will be opposed, especially on issues of the sanctity of human life, marriage and the family. If Candlemas's day be wet and foul. 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. If Candlemas Day brings cloud and rain, Winter will not come again. Its observance spread throughout the Eastern Church where it is calledhyperpanteor The Meeting thats title number four. If Candlemas bring clouds and rain, Go winter, and come not again. Read the articleRoman Aberdeenshire features in authors new bookfrom Grampian Online. An oliphaunt fallen. Then there was a procession in which people carried lighted candles while the choir sang. We were dedicated to God, and given the name, Christian. We, too, received a lit candle from the paschal candle, at which the priest said, You have been enlightened by Christ. 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! Spring is just around the corner. At any rate, going in procession as it was believed that Mary and Joseph had done, with lighted candles to represent Jesus the light of the world, has been a central part of this feast right from early days. For 40 days for a boy, and 60 days for a girl, women weren't allowed to worship in the temple. Jesus the light who shines in the darkness and who guides us on our journey in the darkness that so often seems to surround us. In pre-Christian times, it was the festival of light. Holding onto culture is important, as is embracing new culture, Harman says. I wonder if any of my sermons will still be read 14 centuries from now? Have one of the children, or a guest, read the Nunc Dimittis of Simeon (Luke 2:22-40). Please consider upgrading your browser software or enabling style sheets (CSS) if you are able to do so. A sort of Catch 22 situation. Bloggy blogs all on ailishsinclair.com, The Dule Tree at Leith Hall is one of the best kno, MERMAID: witchcraft, a stone circle, a castle and. There's still a lot we can learn from Groundhog Day, both about our climate and our culture, several experts told NPR. celebrates the presentation of Christ in the Temple in Jerusalem 40 days In his book The English Year, Steve Roud explains that, as the name suggests, Candlemas's "key element" was "the preponderance of candles". This page is best viewed in an up-to-date web browser with style sheets (CSS) enabled. Down with the holly, ivy, all, Here in southern B.C., we usually experience only a few days of snow, but this year it lasted over a month. The Wells Cathedral website explains that "this feast of Candlemas, celebrated by the lighting and extinguishing of candles (hence its name), is a bittersweet feast, for the old man also warns the childs mother of the pain and suffering she is to face because of her Son. of yucky, winter weather, if it isn't nice on Candlemas Day, the weather should At the same time, technological advances have made us less in tune with the changing of the seasons: People once looked up to the stars and sun to determine the time of day or year; now they look down at their cell phone screens. On the eighth day, the boy was circumcised. Dull. 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. May the Light of Christ always shine upon us, and in us, and out from us into our world. If Candlemas Day brings cloud and rain, Winter won't come again.' The history of candles is also a significant part of the festival. "Whether or not there is a predictability of whether it's sunny on Groundhog Day and whether spring comes early or later, I don't know," Blumstein says, adding that Phil's predictions involve "him whispering into people who are wearing stovepipe hats and in front of a drunk crowd, so you can't really trust that.". 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. If she forgets to do this or oversleeps the weather is wet and windy, thus bringing winter to a rapid end because of her lack of firewood. Wrocaw, German Breslau, city, capital of Dolnolskie wojewdztwo (province), southwestern Poland. If Candlemas be fair and bright, Come winter, have another flight. So Candlemas looks backwards to the birth of the child and the joy of Christmas, but also forwards to the suffering and death on the cross.". Jesus brings light to show us the way ahead. February 2 is Candlemas Day Blessing of the candles that are used during the year. For this meeting between Simeon and Jesus in the Temple is a pivotal moment in the story of our redemption for this is the moment at which the long awaited Messiah is proclaimed to be a Light not just for Gods chosen people the Jews, but forallpeople. It was believed that women were impure for six weeks after giving birth and 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. not entirely without sense. Winter will have another fight. Is the Real Stone of Scone Hidden at Finlaggan? A light for me, a light for you. 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." So, what is Candlemas? URL for this post : https://www.tudorsociety.com/candlemas/. The sun is nice today; Id like more of that, please, Im ready to laze in the hot place with a book. Walk always as a child of the light and keep the flame of faith alive in your heart. In the deepest months of winter the sun doesnt touch it at all. And together we can make sure that not only Candlemas Day is fair and bright, but the whole year ahead is bright, lit by the Light of Jesus. 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. Yes February 2ndis, of course, Groundhog Day! The Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Edward Morris was a businessman, politician, and office-holder; born in 1813 at Waterford (Republic of Ireland). For in the Christian Church this event in the life of the Holy Family was first celebrated regularly from about 350 AD in Jerusalem. 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. Winter won't come again. Always on our minds: Texas celebrates 90 years of Willie Nelson, Sun shines on San Antonians celebrating 132nd Battle of Flowers parade, Fiesta enters final weekend; police probe Market Square shooting, Carolyn Bryant Donham, who accused Emmett Till before he was lynched, dies at age 88. In the past, when there was no electricity, candles were a source of light and warmth. If we have inadvertently included a copyrighted poem that the copyright holder does not wish to be displayed, we will take the poem down within 48 hours upon notification by the owner or the owner's legal representative (please use the contact form at http://www.poetrynook.com/contact or email "admin [at] poetrynook [dot] com"). On Candlemas day if thorns hang a drop, You can be sure of a good pea crop. If were hit by blizzards and snowdrifts after this, I may come to rue my words . The term "Imbolc" translates as either "in milk" or "in the belly," and marked If Candlemas be fair and bright, Come winter, have another flight. 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. If Candlemas Day be bright an fair, theres half the winter tae come and mair! Punxsutawney Phil's handlers, known as the "Inner Circle," continue to wear dark tuxedos, long tails and top hats even today, he points out. Blumstein says all animals, not just the prognosticators, deserve respect. He says the thinking was that if there was a high-pressure system in early February, things likely weren't changing and it would probably continue to be cold, while a low-pressure system suggests the potential for better weather ahead. A farmer should on Candlemas day, Have half his corn and half his hay. If you have any problems, please let us know. And there are more furry forecasters out there too. But how accurate is Punxsutawney Phil? 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. 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. According to the Book of Leviticus (12:1-4), when a woman bore a male child, she was considered unclean for seven days. In America, Protestants decided we should replace Catholic Candlemas Day with Groundhog Day. Candlemas Traditions. Jews at the time of Jesus, like most cultures, had their own particular laws and customs surrounding child-birth. indoors. Copyright 2023 NPR. What are the origins of the May Crowning? If Candlemas day be cloudy and grey, Winter soon will pass away. If Candlemas Day brings cloud and rain, Winter won't come again. Sailors are often reluctant to Farmer's Proverbs 'A farmer should, on Candlemas Day, Have half his corn and half his hay.' 'On Candlemas Day if the thorns hang adrop, You can be sure of a good pea crop.' German Proverb. Pop. It refers to the meeting between Jesus and Simeon. Phil did not see his shadow. Go hereto sign up for occasional emails that always include some exclusive photos and news of my writing and life. severe weather would continue for another forty days at least. All have the same theme: sunny and cold is bad news, windy and wet is good. In Branch, St. Marys Bay an expression that is particular to Candlemas Day was the expression: Half your prog and half your hay, It dates back to ancient traditions first pagan, then Christian marking the halfway point between the winter solstice and spring equinox, says Troy Harman, a history professor at Penn State University who also works as a ranger at Gettysburg National Military Park. So, to our gospel reading. A beautiful post. The festival is called Candlemas beacuse this was the day that all the Church's candles for the year were blessed. Though it incorrectly states that Jesus waa presented at the temple in Bethlehem. Simeon, thereby, announced that the Messiah has come not just for the Jew but the gentile; not just the righteous, but the sinner. Something shared (winter) on a completely different note, considering I live in Mexico. More good reminders: brave little snowdrops. If Candlemas Day brings cloud and rain, winter won't come again", is perhaps the best known. PublishedFebruary 2, 2023 at 4:11 AM CST. We're not meteorologists, but the science behind this forecast is questionable. Take, for example: Pisgah Pete, a white squirrel in North Carolina, Connecticut's Scramble the Duck and a beaver at the Oregon Zoo named "Stumpton Fil.". 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. If Candlemas Day brings cloud and rain, winter won't come again", is perhaps the best known. These candles would be taken out and lit during a gale or storm. 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. Get the latest business insights from Dun & Bradstreet. The price for such a redemption was five shekels, which the parents paid to the priest. Let me give you a clue to the first two titles. The groundhog arguably the most famous member of his species and the most recognizable of all the country's animal prognosticators did what he has done for the last 137 years: search for a sign of spring in front of a group of top hat-wearing handlers and adoring fans at Gobbler's Knob in Pennsylvania. It is rather like a portal to another country, a warmer clime or different season. As one English folk song put it: "If Candlemas be fair and bright / Come, Winter, have another flight; If Candlemas brings clouds and rain / Go Winter, and come not again." Germany went a step further by making animals specifically hedgehogs part of the proceedings. All rights reserved. Rachel Treisman (she/her) is a writer and editor for the Morning Edition live blog, which she helped launch in early 2021. The Christian church later expanded this idea into the festival of Candlemas, which commemorates the moment when the Virgin Mary went to the Temple in Jerusalem 40 days after Jesus' birth to be purified and present him to God as her firstborn. After the 40 days, the mother and the father came to the temple for the rite of purification, which included the offering of a sacrifice a lamb for a holocaust (burnt offering) and a pigeon or turtledove for a sin offering, or for a poor couple who could not afford a lamb, two pigeons or two turtledoves. If Candlemas day be shower and rain, Winter is gone and will not come again. Due to the poor weather at If the child was a boy he was circumcised on the eighth day and then the woman was ceremonially unclean for another 33 days. It is amusing that our issues back on February 2, 1871 are much the same. The first Gobbler's Knob ceremony took place the next year, and the rest is history. Set in 1st century Scotland,SISTERS AT THE EDGE OF THE WORLDincludes the battle of Mons Graupius between the Romans and the Caledonian tribes. time of year. candles are thought to have been used as a replacement to move the ritual If its sunny and he can see his shadow he goes back to sleep because winter is coming back. 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. Ronald Hutton, in The Stations of the Sun, writes of how in the 15th and early 16th centuries the craft guilds of Aberdeen "provided pageants to accompany their members through the streets with their candles" and that some towns and cities held municipal feasts and put on entertainment. New Englanders who lived in old houses used to watch the cracks and crevices in their walls on February 2. Though I much prefer this poem about the groundhog: Groundhog in your hole so deep Lift your head and take a peep If your shadow makes you leap Curl back up and go to sleep If Candlemas be fair and bright, Winter has another flight. Beeswax candles were blessed by being sprinkled with holy water and having incense swung around them, and then the candles distributed to everyone in the church. There is some scientific basis for the Candlemas lore, according to Blumstein. According to an anonymous Franciscan friar, writing in a book calledMeditations on the Life of Christin the fourteenth century, its because when Mary received the child Jesus back from Simeon and Anna she, Joseph, and Anne her mother, walked around the altar in the Temple in a procession singing prophetic verses. They immediately return for another sleep if it is sunny on 2 February because they know the winter will continue. For some people, different superstitions surround this festival. In both heathen and Christian calendars it is a day for lighting candles and celebrating the return of the light. 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. Daniel Blumstein is a professor of ecology and evolutionary biology at UCLA who studies marmots, the group of 15 species of large ground squirrels that includes groundhogs. Commentdocument.getElementById("comment").setAttribute("id","a1b60d840fe181a41e8e61828534ddea");document.getElementById("b2348bb89a").setAttribute("id","comment"); John Rogers, the first Protestant martyr of Mary I, http://www.wellscathedral.org.uk/worship/the-seasons-at-wells-cathedral/candlemas/. Tradition says that North America will get six more weeks of winter if Phil sees his shadow and an early spring if he does not. Candlemas hot or cold is a world of difference. Such verse alludes to the notion of animalshistorically, groundhogs, hedgehogs, badgers, bearsdeciding to end or prolong their winter's sleep according to the weather. 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. So if the bright sun overshadows the brightness of Candlemas Day, there will be more winter. 29 April William Dacre, 3rd Baron Gilsland, a lucky man. God has sent his Son to bring light where there was darkness. Double click on any word for its definition. Fri, April 28th 2023, 4:03 PM PDT. 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. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. If Candlemas brings clouds and rain, Winter will not come again. Every fishing boat would also have a blessed candle. Two other interesting tidbits highlight this day: First, in many Eastern European countries, the feast of the Presentation officially closes the celebration of Christmas. so forth weren't removed there would be a death among the congregation 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. Candlemas commemorates the ritual purification of Mary, 40 days after the birth of her son Jesus. Get the latest business insights from Dun & Bradstreet. 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. Statistics say not so much: Phil's accuracy rate is about 40% over the last decade. Our Autumn/Spring will begin soon , Ive nominated you for a Versatile Blogger Award : One goose, two geese. If Candlemas Day be dry and fair, The half o the winter's to come and mair; If Candlemas Day be wet and foul, The half o the winter's gane at Yule. It's almost Groundhog Day! My mum came out with the Doric version yesterday, one day I dont think I would mind snow! Streets frozen again but no cold such as we have had. 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 from winter hibernation to inspect the weather as well as wolves, Image: Presentation of Christ in the Temple, from the Sherbrooke Missal. Down with the bays and mistletoe; Winter will have another fight. But, if he doesn't see his shadow, the country can expect warmer temperatures and an early spring." Since ancient times, a procession of lit candles has observed the day, whence the name Candlemas, and the observance comes from Scripture deeming Christ as "a light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel.". On Groundhog Day, the fate of spring is determined in the quaint town of Punxsutawney, Pa. If Candlemas Day be fair and bright Winter will have another fight. goes:-, "Down with the rosemary, and so The club says Groundhog Day is the same today as when it first started if the old-timey garb and scrolls are any sign just with far more participants. The eve of Candlemas was the day on which Christmas decorations and greenery As decades of repeated stories tell, if the famous Punxsutawney groundhog ("Phil") sees its shadow on the second of February, there will be six more weeks of winter; if not, there will be an early spring. The fascinating story behind many people's favori Test your vocabulary with our 10-question quiz! BBC 2014 The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. (Traditional). 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. Simeon held the baby Jesus and called him a Light to the World. An oliphaunt fallen. To end, we pose this question: if the weather is "fair and bright," why doesn't the groundhog stay outside and get some sun instead of retreating to darkness? Solstice 2010: The wind has been notably fierce, bringing an ancient beech tree crashing to the ground one night. If Candlemas Day brings cloud and rain, What Eucharistic miracle inspired the Feast of Corpus Christi? Find company research, competitor information, contact details & financial data for ES OFFICE PROJEKT SP Z O O of Wrocaw, dolnolskie. Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. 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. If Candlemas day be dry and fair, Candlemas is observed on the same day as Groundhog Day, and it commemorates the occasion when the Virgin Mary, in accordance with Jewish law, went to the holy temple in Jerusalem both to be purified 40 days after the birth of her son and to present Jesus to God as her firstborn.
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