The Feast of Candlemas in Medieval Times
How Candlemas was Celebrated in the Middle Ages
Dec 8, 2008
Candlemas was one of the three major Church blessings of the liturgical year; the others were the blessing of the palms and blessing of the ashes.
Like many medieval feasts, Candlemas had its roots in paganism. The feast was originally a feast of light and was adopted by the Church as the feast of the purification of Mary, forty days after the birth of Jesus. It falls halfway between the shortest day and the Spring equinox and was traditionally a time for looking forward to the longer days ahead.
How Candlemas was Celebrated in Medieval Times
The church celebrations of Candlemas were tied in with secular practices and traditions, many relating to farming, something which was so important in the medieval world. Christmas decorations, such as fir branches or yule logs, could be burnt as part of the celebrations and were returned to the earth for use as compost or fertiliser.
Candlemas was traditionally the day when cattle were taken out of hay fields and the fields ploughed, ready for the growing season ahead. The festival marked the beginning of tasks such as preparing the fields for sowing and bringing animals out of their winter pastures, ready for crops to be grown.
The snowdrop flower was known as ‘Candlemas Bell’ and it was believed to be unlucky to bring snowdrops into the house before Candlemas. The flowers could be safely brought into the home on the day of the feast, and thereafter, without attracting ill luck.
Candlemas was also the saint day of St Blaise, the patron saint of sore throats. At many churches, the priest would bless the throats of parishioners, as protection against winter ailments. The celebrations included a candlelit procession through the churchyard, past the graves of ancestors, and into the dark church, which would gradually become light as people carrying candles entered, to symbolise coming out of the darkness of winter into spring.
Candlemas and St Bridget
The feast of Candlemas is also associated with St Bridget, with possible connections to the earlier pagan goddess Brigid. The festival of St Bridget was keenly celebrated in Ireland during the Middle Ages, where the celebrations lasted from 1 to 2 February. A loaf and an ear of corn were left outdoors on the night of 1 February as offerings to the saint and in earlier traditions, to the goddess Brigid.
Source
Davidson, Clifford Festivals and Plays in Late Medieval Britain [Ashgate, 2007]
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