My reasons are pretty simple.
Breathing time.
I love the Christmas season.
Our Christmas celebrations begin with Advent, continue through the 12 days of Christmas, on to the Epiphany. I keep Christmas until Candlemas, when the last of Christmas is packed up and put away.
I like having a breather between Christmas and Easter. It feels like a good outbreath, to relax and sink back into the daily rhythm of life. I find comfort, solace and renewal in the quiet time. That's why I don't celebrate Candlemas. I need the outbreath.
I do embrace Groundhog day.
It's fun. It speaks to young children.
Young children anticipate the coming of this special day. We wait and wonder. Will the groundhog come out of his home in the earth? Will it be sunny? If it is, will he see his shadow and scurry back inside?
We wait to hear the news, to learn whether or not the groundhog has seen his shadow, almost more fun than learning how much winter is left.
With the littles we go outside and stomp on the earth, telling Mother Earth," it's time to wake up!"
I like to think of this time of year as the stirring of the year, a stirring that comes from deep in the belly of the earth. Depending on where we live in the northern hemisphere, the earth is beginning to soften, the hens are beginning to lay and the cows are giving more milk.
We've had celebrations of light since last fall. The light culminated in the birth of the Child of Light. Now, I like to let it be dark and quiet, a sort of post partum period.
As a Catholic, I appreciate the religious aspect of the Churching of Mary, the Churching of women as an ancient postpartum blessing.
As a homeschooler, I like to include Saint Brigid of Ireland in 2nd grade, and revisit her as Celtic goddess Brigit around 7th and 8th grades.
As a midwife, I love everything about Brigid and Brigit.
Yet I'm not going to make candles indoors in the winter. I don't really get the making of candles indoors in winters. It's too dangerous. If you don't know me in real life, you should know that I'm pretty comfortable with risk taking. However I am not comfortable with the risk of burning down my house dipping candles in the winter. Beeswax, if heated too much, ignites easily. Ask me how I know.
I prefer to dip candles outdoors in summer or autumn. It's much safer that way.
In the reflection that comes with writing this, it's not Candlemas per se that I won't be contemplating. It's making candles central to the day that I'll pass up. It's also the focus on light. We've kindled our inner lights, carried them through the dark to the birth of the Child of Light. The light has become embodied. It's within us. It's time to look within and see what's stirring there. I like the quiet time, to enjoy the dark, and be open to the stirrings within.
There's a long and rich history of celebration of this day with Imbolc, the goddess Brigit, the Churching of Mary, the act of the churching of Mary and what it means for all birthing women, and the Irish Saint Brigid, with her origins in the Celtic goddess Brigit. I can see it as religious, or pagan, or even just a time to dip candles. I haven't quite made sense of how the many different rich aspects of this day weave together and what is the deeper meaning imbued in them. I'll keep pondering it.
For now I'll observe and continue to dip candles outdoors in the summer or fall, and think of Candlemas as a day of blessing the postpartum woman and shining the light on the power and glory of childbirth.
How about you?
How do you make meaning of Candlemas?
I think it is most appropriate to celebrate Candlemas and Saint Brigit in Second Grade as one of the Saint stories. I also think that Saint Lucy is best left to Second Grade. I did write a Saint Lucy Kindergarten story just because it is so traditional to do "Santa Lucia" in early childhood in Scandanavia and it seems to have passed down. I agree that there is no reason to celebrate Candlemas in the early grades. Valentine's Day is right around the corner. I have a story for that, but it doesn't involve Saint Valentine! 😉
ReplyDeleteIt is still such a part of our culture to "hurry up" children and to have to "include" everyone. Like allowing children older than Kindergarten and First Grade to walk the Advent Spiral, just so no one "feels left out." But it shows a lack of understanding of the purpose, meaning and gesture of the spiral walk into incarnation.
It is important, IMO, for the teachers to really understand each festival and to be able to explain to the parents what each one is for and why.
I also don't understand the Saint Martin Lantern Walk. Again, I feel that the story of Saint Martin belongs to the Second Grade and that a Lantern Walk is actually better for Halloween/ All Saints Day. But that tradition is ingrained now in the Waldorf culture and is beloved of many families, so there is no use complaining about it. 😉
My understanding of Candlemas is that it is a day of blessing candles previously made candles that will be used throughout the year. They needn’t and typically wouldn’t be made the same day, traditionally.
ReplyDeleteWe love Candlemas!
ReplyDeleteIt's become a beloved tradition in our home. We use beeswax sheets and roll and decorate candles with little to no heat involved. These candles are our dinnertime candles for the year. I also make sure to roll our advent wreath candles this day and tuck them away with the last of our Christmas decorations, because for us this is the last day of Christmas. I read that traditionally the Christmas garlands, wreaths, and swags were taken down and burned in a community bonfire that brought neighbors together after so much time huddled in their homes. Although most of our decorations are fake these days, we do try to burn the tree which we take down shortly after the epiphany. My husband works for the forest service and so is a wizard at building burn piles from brush on our property. He makes these in the Fall and we light them through out the Winter. But we make sure to have one on the solstice and on Candlemas day!
To use your light example - for my the purpose of rolling our candles on this day is a reminder to keep the light of Christ burning all through the year. We put our joy and love into those candles and pulling them out as we go through the year is always a delight.