Groundhog Day, St Brigid's Day, Candlemas Day 2013

This poster image below combines three events celebrated in different parts of the world at the start of February. All bear intimations of the first signs of Spring, the welcome start of visibly lengthening days with stronger light and our hearts eagerly waiting for new life.


  • St Brigid's Day, this Saturday, February 1st, gives us her well to draw from containing some life giving water from the Holy Spirit. 
  • Candlemas Day on Saturday February 2nd, warm our hearts and asking us to share our light of faith with others. Candles that are lit during Candlemas also symbolize Jesus as the “light of the world”.
As the light grows longer
 The cold grows stronger 
 If Candlemas be fair and bright
 Winter will have another flight 
If Candlemas be cloud and rain 
      Winter will be gone and not come again 





This Saturday is also one of my favourite feasts in the liturgical calendar: The Presentation of Jesus, the Lamb of God, to the old man Simeon and Anna the Prophetess in the Temple. 

Candlemas (russian icon)
Candlemas (russian icon) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)








Click here for my post on the Presentation 

and this one on Blessing Candles on the Presentation of our Lord, via
  (interruptingthesilence.com)





One of my favourite flowers that I watch for at this time of year are snowdrops which are also known as Candlemas Bells because they often bloom early in the year, even before Candlemas, and some varieties bloom all winter in the Northern hemisphere.

According to a delightful folk tale, an angel helped these Candlemas bells to bloom and pointed them as a sign of hope to Eve, who wept in repentance and in despair over the cold and death that entered the world. 

1 comment:

Sister Diana said...

I've been traveling for the last month with limited access to the internet. I must say that I've missed your posts tremendously. You gather my pray book together for me each day.Thank you.