Day Thirty Three- 2/2/11 Celebrating The Feast of the Presentation

Day Thirty Two: 2/1/11
New Thing: Celebrating The Feast of the Presentation  
Inspiration: Candlemas, The Siftar-MacIntosh Crew
Cost: $0
Time: About two hours
Bottom Line: A beautiful home blessing and Candlemas Procession!

Reflection: Today is the Feast of the Presentation of Jesus in the Temple which is also known as Candlemas. Here is a nice description of this Feast Day from a worksheet that Ellen gave me, but I do not know who the author is:

Jesus being Presented to Simeon and Anna in the Temple

In olden times, the last farewells were said to the Christmas Season on Candlemas, February 2. When Jesus was born, is was the custom for every Jewish mother to go to the Temple forty days after her first male child was born and 'present him to the Lord'. At the same time, the mother was 'purified' or 'blessed'. Mary made this trip to the Temple with the Baby Jesus and that is why February 2, the fortieh day after Christmas, is also known as the Festival of the Presentation of Christ in the Temple. Because this was the first public 'presentation' of Jesus, the Light of the World, many candles are lighted for the celebration of this day. It was also customary to bless the year's supply of candles for the church on this day--hence the name, Candlemas.

Today also has special personal meaning for me as it is the third anniversary of my Diaconal Ordination. Luckily, my friends Ellyn, Andrew and their wonderful children had the perfect idea to help mark this day: they asked me to bless their house!

After a delicious dinner, we had a really beautiful service at their house that started with a version of the Candlemas Procession and lit a candle that Ellyn had made in the ground of their yard.

Blessing the Front Door

I know that this is the wrong color of stole, but it was all I had at home and couldn't make it into church.

The best-friends with with lanterns.

Then we blessed their entire house and then celebrated the Eucharist. We topped the evening off with cinnimon rolls! It was a really wonderful night.      

And for those who are wondering about Groundhogs Day and any possible connections that there maybe to Candlemas, Wikipidia has this to say: 

In the United Kingdom, good weather at Candlemas is taken to indicate severe winter weather later: "If Candlemas Day is clear and bright, / winter will have another bite. / If Candlemas Day brings cloud and rain, / winter is gone and will not come again." It is also alleged to be the date that bears emerge from hibernation to inspect the weather as well as wolves, who if they choose to return to their lairs on this day is interpreted as meaning severe weather will continue for another forty days at least. The earliest American reference to Groundhog Day can be found at the Pennsylvania Dutch Folklore Center at Franklin and Marshall College:  4 February 1841 — from Morgantown, Berks County (Pennsylvania) storekeeper James Morris' diary …"Last Tuesday, the 2nd, was Candlemas day, the day on which, according to the Germans, the Groundhog peeps out of his winter quarters and if he sees his shadow he pops back for another six weeks nap, but if the day be cloudy he remains out, as the weather is to be moderate."