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Although this could very well be a picture of me finding a new treasure at a favorite nursery, it's actually an illustration by David Catrow for a children's book called Plantzilla.

Saturday, February 2, 2013

Happy Candlemas All!


Fair warning!  Any Christmas decorations not taken down by twelfth night should be left up and taken down on Candlemas! 

Snowdrops are considered unlucky if brought into the house before Candlemas day, representing a parting or death.  However, they are a symbol of this day and are now fair game for interior boquets.  These photos were taken this morning of a few of the thousands of these little charmers that I inherited with my current garden. 

They're not quite open yet which puts them behind many I've seen on blogs from colder parts of the country.


 Candlemas marks the halfway point between the winter solstice and the spring equinox.  It is also 40 days after the celebration of Christmas (only 325 shopping days left.)  In Judaism and orthodox Christianity, women undergo a ritual purification 40 days after giving birth.  Sons are also presented at the temple at this time.  Therefore, this day is celebrated in some faith communities as the ritual purification of Mary, the presentation of the child Christ at the temple, and Jesus' first entry into the temple.   In some traditions, all candles to be used in church during the year were blessed on this day.

There is also a superstition that the weather on this day would dictate the weather for the next six weeks, the remainder of winter.

If Candlemas Day be fair and bright
winter will have another fight.
If Candlemas Day brings cloud and rain,
winter will not come again.



If Candlemas Day be dry and fair,
The half o the Winter to come and mair;
If Candlemas Day be wet and foul,
The half o the winter's gane at Yule.


The following medieval Anglo-Saxon plowing charm, recorded by Pamela Berger in her  book, The Goodess Obscured: Transformation of the Grain Protectress from Goddess to Saint, was said by the farmer while cutting the first furrow. 

Whole be thou Earth
Mother of men.
In the lap of God,
Be thous as-growing.
Be filled with fodder
For fare-need of men.

The farmer then took a loaf of bread, kneaded it with milk and holy water and laid it under the first furrow, saying:

Acre full fed,
Bring forth fodder for men!
Blossoming brightly,
Blessed become;
And the God who wrought the ground,
Grant us the gifts of growing,
That the corn, all the corn,
may come unto our need.

The promises of the return of the light and the renewal of life which were made at the winter solstice are now becoming manifest. It's the dawn of the year. It's time to creep out of the hibernation of winter, cautiously, like the Ground Hog who supposedly emerges on this day to check his shadow. It's the time of germination. This is a traditional time for new beginnings
 
More interesting information about Candlemas can be found here and here  One of these sources suggests that a ritual purification for this day might be to clean one's home, removing dust and remnants of things past.  I had to stop reading at that point because just the thought of cleaning my house made me tired.  It's only truly a home if you can write "I love you" in the dust!
 

In the U.S. the tradition of relying on a large rodent to predict the weather for the next six weeks was brought to us by German and English folk.   In England and Germany, the animal that comes out of hibernation on this day is the badger. In America, this role is assigned to the groundhog (or woodchuck), a relatively solitary, burrowing animal.
 
Tenacious snowdrops so eager to live that they even spring up and multiply in interstices between pavers and here in the concrete steps in front of the house. 
 
For more on Groundhog day go here .
 
This morning, there was a blanket of fog when I set out to snap some pictures of snowdrops,  the floral emblem of the day, so our groundhog wouldn't see and be frightened by his shadow so the rest of winter in this area should be mild.  I hope the rest of your winter is delightful and if you live in the other hemisphere where you're still experiencing summer, I hope it's not too hot!
 
 

25 comments:

  1. Your story pretty much ties it all together. If I had left the decorations up they'd be mighty dusty by now.

    Happy Groundhogmas Day!

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    1. Glad that your decorations are safely and dustlessly stored away!

      Right back at you,Shirley!

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  2. I enjoyed reading about a day I was completely unaware of until now! (not groundhog day but Candlemas)....Thick fog here this morning thus no shadow either (but sun for later this afternoon, ground hogs get up early right?), yay for a mild rest of winter!

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    1. I love reading about folklore and traditions. Yes, most definitely, early groundho,no sun, no shadow, early spring!

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  3. Snow drops are beautiful, have heard of this day, there are so many traditions and days to celebrate. It may as well be winter over here, it's freezing, down to 15 degrees c yesterday morning which is about 57 f, same today.

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    1. Our unusually warm high yesterday was 50 degrees f. Even during our summer, nights are often in the 50 degree range. I look forward to seeing gardens in your part of the world during your winter.

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    2. Will try to photograph some for you.

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  4. Oh, you already have snow drops! Well, we have snow flakes! Lots of them..

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    1. How beautiful and cold is your area of the world. Have you thought of moving here or somewhere else that is a little warmer?

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  5. Well you learn something new every day! Since I've been procrastinating over cleaning the house all day I have to admit I got to that part and cringed.

    No snowdrops here. One of these falls I need to plant a few.

    Happy Candlemas!

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    1. Happy Candlemas to you, too! I'm thinking that the house cleaning idea is too silly! Instead, maybe we could eat some prunes. That would be a purification of sorts, right?

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  6. I'm not familiar with this but I've been warned! Love the snowdrops.

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    1. The snowdrops are always such a welcome sign of spring.

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  7. I loved all the information about Candlemas - I didn't know any of this before. I also enjoyed seeing all your snowdrops. What sweet little blooms!

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    1. The snowdrops are usually some of the first blooms of the new year. Always welcome,they remind me that spring is on the way.

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  8. Thank you for sharing about Candlemas! I had no idea it even existed! I hope our rodent predictions prove right that the rest of our PNW winter will be mild. Cheers, Jenni

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    1. Well, if you and I agree about a mild winter, that settes it! Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

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  9. I enjoyed the lesson on Candlemas, which I don't think I had ever heard of. Snowdrops are charming, aren't they? Ours started to come up, but then we had a late January freeze and a few inches of snow.

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    1. I love folklore, traditions, ritual, etc. to mark the days & seasons. Sorry that you got snow on top of your galianthus!

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  10. I had no idea that Groundhog Day was, from the sound of it, a sort of bastardization of Candlemas. In fact, I didn't even know what Candlemas was, so thanks for the lesson. Anyway, Happy Candlemas! My snowdrops are showing just little green shoots so far, barely out of the ground. I'm going to have to watch for them, they seem to flower when only about an inch tall, and can go past before I even realize it.

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    1. Mine aren't fully open yet but starting to show color. Your garden is at a little bit higher elevation and further from the water. I wonder if our proximity to downtown also has a bit of a warming effect.

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  11. I don't have any snowdrops planted in my garden and am suspicious of forecasts created by giant rodents. A good friend went to the Groundhog festival in Puxatawney this weekend and said it was a blast. Interesting lesson on Candlemas!

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    1. Snowdrops are lots of fun because they bloom early and then leave some interesting grassy foliage which disappears in a few weeks. Of course if you don't remember where they are, you dig them up all year when planting other stuff. Fortunately they don't mind & this is part of the reason that they are now all over my yard. Maybe you could get a few - and a big box of D Con!

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  12. Gorgeous pictures! We're still covered in snow, so I'm enjoying the snowdrops blooming on everyone else's blogs :) Love all the historical references you've posted, shows how important the seasons, when they began, how long they lasted, were back then.

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    1. Thanks. In an agrarian culture where one relied on the garden for sustenance, things like that would be vitally important and rife with superstition & lore. It's sad that we've lost much of this connection to the earth as vital giver of life. We are so compartmentalized in our lives that it seems like food comes from a store and not from plants. Those who garden can still be a part of the planet's cycles and try to stay connected. I'm not saying that I want to become Amish and forgo all of the perks of modern society but there is something lost by not connecting with the earth and other people.

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Thanks so much for taking the time to comment! I love to hear your thoughts.