Candlemas
Candlemas
The ancient celebration of Candlemas falls on 2nd February in the dead of winter, when gusty rain cuts through every coat and the grey lowering clouds obscure the stars and night sky. In Anglo Saxon times this month was called Sol-Monath. One interpretation of this is that it is the month of cakes - Bede has one mention of “hearthcake” but “sol” was also used to mean ‘mud’ or ‘dirt’ in some texts. It certainly is the muddy month here at Highclere and somehow February always seems both claggy and tiring despite its short length.
Traditionally, Candlemas marks the formal end of winter and, in the past, during the morning of 2nd February many candles were lit in churches followed by feasting and music in the afternoon. The aim was to symbolically drive out the dark. The modern word February is derived from the Latin “februarius mensis”, a month of purification, from “februare "to purify and, in Christian terms, Candlemas marks the day baby Jesus was presented at the temple in Jerusalem.
In common with many church festivals, Candlemas was superimposed onto an old pagan festival. In British folklore, the date had its roots in the Celtic festival of Imbolc, a fire festival marking the halfway point between the winter solstice and the spring equinox which celebrated the first stirrings of spring, fertility and purification
Candlemas is also known for its folklore surrounding the weather. The old saying goes,
“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.”
Today, we seem to invest more in trying to protect the darkness from never ending light, keeping our bedrooms dark so we can sleep in a light polluted world. But for most of the history of humankind it was quite the reverse, and we spent our time trying to light up the darkness. Light was a challenge and it began with different types of candles.
Early candles were made from reeds dipped in or made from tallow. They were a little smoky and later, candles made from beeswax were a welcome improvement. Today, candles are both an enormously valuable business sector and a treat, the flickering flames endlessly fascinating in the darkness and the different scents comforting. Lighting candles has a calming effect on our senses as it helps us leave behind the stress of everyday life and is part of every wellbeing program.
For centuries, candles have been used in rituals, ceremonies and everyday life. From ancient religious practices to personal meditative moments, lighting a candle has always carried a sense of reverence. They symbolise light, hope, remembrance and the divine, serving key functions in many church services. We all still blow out candles on a birthday cake whilst festivals such as Diwali centre round candles and the concept of light. bring moments of colour and light.
From time to time there are power cuts at Highclere. It all begins with a resolve to make the best of it before the dawning realisation that somehow everything we do from telephone calls to kettles, catching up on emails or doing some ironing, requires power. What is more they always seem to happen in winter, so the light fades earlier and darkness sinks deeply into every corner, particularly in the castle. Our eyesight adjusts but is not strong enough to clearly distinguish either colour or shapes.
The central Saloon begins to seem very large and dark and all the rather nice, scented candles I have gathered together are helpful, but wholly insufficient. There are some torches but as anyone walks off to find something, they have such a small pool of light that the best they can do is illuminate any stairs or bumps on the floor.
We know such a situation will come to an end, but complete darkness profoundly changes the sensory sensibilities of our brain, and I keep thinking this must have been how our ancestors lived for millennia - this small matter of electricity is very modern.
34 Comments
Lovely the pictures of candlemas and did you and lord Carnarvon have a wonderful weekend and I am Downton Abbey and highcelere castle
We had a very relaxing weekend thank you
Every day is a school day. Very interesting read.
Thank you for your always thoughtful blogs. They have a calming effect on me and I'm sure on many
others as we negotiate the massive amounts of news both local and worldly. Your kindness is much appreciated.
Thank you, you are very kind
Lovely column! Your Candlemas folklore mirrors our Groundhog Day forecasting "technique". Sadly, Phil did see his shadow today, so we are looking at 6 more weeks of winter. How did you fare on your side of the pond?
Winter is very much still here! lots of wind and rain.
Merry Monday! Thank you for the explanation of Candlemas. A rather refined version of our American "Groundhog's Day". I prefer Candlemas. What a lovely image of you standing newar the pool of light in the central saloon.
Cheers from Chicagoland, where the local groundhog, Woodstock Willie, did not see his shadow & we will have an early spring! YAY to that!
Donna
I love the old saying and it is much more romantic than the seeing the shadow of Punxsutawney Phil to predict the shortness or length of our US winter.
Beautiful, evocative and poetic post 🩷 ⭐️Thank you, as always ⭐️🩷
Thank you for reminding us of the blessing of electricity and truly how dependent we have become on having it at the click of a switch. So many things we take for granted that previous generations managed without. Remember the episode in Downton Abby when electricity was being introduced to the castle. And as an aside,it seems your Candlemas Day coincides with our Groundhog Day, which occurs on February 2nd and evidently originated from your Candlemas and brought to the Us by German settlers in Pennsylvania adapting that if the hedgehog saw his shadow on Candlemas Day there would be a second winter or 6 more weeks of bad weather. The hedgehog was replaced by the groundhog and it's a big deal in Punxsutawney, Pa, with an actual club that was established in 1887 and the groundhog has been named Phil. There was a huge crowd out there this morning in the freezing cold to find out what 'Phil' had to say and it looks like 6 more weeks of winter for us here in the USA (at least on the east coast.)
Thank you for sharing that is deeply fascinating.
Interesting you should be writing about light! I always love the lighting at Christmas which is the summer solstice here in Australia! Tonight is a full moon in Aquarius and we have several months of great summer light to go before a chill begins in late April, about the time of ANZAC Day! Since the introduction of NBN Broadband here in Australia all landline telephones are powered by electricity so that during a power outage often caused by a big thunderstorm one cannot make an emergency call! Thankfully we have mobile phones!
Thankyou Lady Carnarvon! Loved your writing about candles!
Best wishes
FLEURINA DECORTES de GILBERT
Orange City
Central Western NSW
Australia
A lovely historical and relatable piece. Thank you.
We celebrate candlemas here too, the Light of Life❤️ When I read the name Sol-monath, I was sure it was a name from Norse! It sounds like " the Sun-month", said in Norwegian, and I thought it made sense, since the sun "has returned" in February. But now I know better! Thank you😊
I love any chance to light candles, so here here to Candlemass and I look forward as the snow is falling where I live to bear witness to the calm and serenity of candle lighting! Thank you for sharing!
I had never heard of Candlemas. 🕯️Thank you again for another informative blog this morning.
Lovely story of Candlemass Day and enjoyed article. Our American tradition is Groundhog Day
is a bit on the light side and a welcome respite from winter and low temps!
Here in the US we have Ground Hog day and if he sees his shadow six more weeks of winter. Well, Phil the ground hog saw his shadow!
At the risk of repeating myself, a recent read, "The Stripping of the Altars; Traditional Religion in England 1400-1580" has a wonderfully thorough description of the Candlemas event, and what it meant to contemporary Church-goers of the period,
Thank you for such an. Interesting read
Love Candlemas service at church ,
I wanted to express my sincere appreciation for your beautifully written post on Candlemas. Reading your reflections was an absolute delight, your eloquent exploration of tradition, history and the symbolism of light in the depths of winter truly resonated with me. The way you weave cultural heritage with personal insight is both informative and deeply evocative.
Thank you for sharing this thoughtful piece, it was a joy to read, and I feel enriched by the experience. I look forward to your future posts with great anticipation. 
With warmest regards,
[Your Name]
Thanks for a fascinating story! I live on the very south western coast of British Columbia, Canada. Our climate is often referred to as “the Wet Coast” of Canada. Very true today, pouring rain, rain, rain!
Dear Lady Carnarvon,
Being in the Southern emisphere, in Chile, we are in full "Summer" with temperatures over the 30 degrees celsius, not every day, but most of February.
However, with the climate change we are receiving massive rain, floods, hail, thunders, lighting on the slopes and cities near the Andes mountains, with a few people dead
and many houses damaged. We never had events like this before...It's scary. We are told that there will be more events like these ones, more often and stronger.
Thank you for another fascinating blog. I learned more about Candlemas too. The end of long cold wintery days would definitely be a joy. Always a thing worth celebrating. Wish you a very happy Spring and another stunning wildflower meadow. We have fond memories of your vast wildflower “meadow” full of colourful little flowers and butterflies.
I sent your Blog on Reeling to my brother who,
who, at age 91 still does Scottish Country
Dancing here in Connecticut! Thanks for your
piece!
I do love your wekly blog from here in sunny Southern California. I do love the cosy days but we just get them in spurts.
We still enjoy our candles! Thanks again for your blog.
Lovely post! Thank you!
Lady Carnarvon,
Thank you for another look into the past and how February still seems to be a dreary month. In the courtyard near our apartment, we see little sprouts of jonquils peaking up! With patience, we wait for the Spring equinox, longer days, and more sun. I know Highclere will welcome new folks to see her ancient beauty soon.
Martha
I agree. Candles are culturally and functionally important.
Thank you for this beautifully written piece!
We are currently in the south of Switzerland and joined a small Candlemas procession through the darkened little streets of the village and into the church last night. Magical and so lovely to be part of such an ancient tradition. All the more appreciated your words on Candlemas when I read them just now!
Candlemas marks the official end of Christmastide--forty days since Christmas, mirroring the forty days of Lent. Forty days of joy and celebration and forty days of fasting and introspection. The beautiful balance of life!
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Lovely story. Ground hog day in the US. I hope for an early spring. Very cold here and a lot of snow.
There has been a mild dusting of now here, although mostly rain. I do not think Winter is over just yet.