How Candlemas became the Christian feast of light and renewal
Rooted in early Christian tradition, Candlemas marks the presentation of Jesus and purification of the Virgin Mary at Herod's Temple in Jerusalem.
In the depths of winter, the Christian feast of Candlemas marks a moment of transition. Observed 40 days after Christmas, the holiday commemorates the biblical presentation of the baby Jesus to the priest at Herod’s Temple in Jerusalem and the recognition of Jesus as a light to the nations.
In Catholic and Orthodox traditions, the day is marked with candlelit processions and masses, which also honor Mary’s ritual purification after childbirth. In other Christian denominations, the day is remembered as part of the liturgical calendar and a symbolic nod to the changing of the seasons.
Candlemas is celebrated each year on February 2, a day that continues to illuminate faith, tradition, and the subtle promise of spring. Here’s the backstory behind the Christian candlelit holiday.
What is Candlemas?
Candlemas—also known as the feast of the presentation of Jesus Christ—marks the day Mary and Joseph brought Jesus to the Temple in Jerusalem 40 days after his birth, in accordance with Mosaic law that called for the consecration of every firstborn son.
The Law of Moses also required a new mother to be purified in the Temple 40 days after the birth of a son, or 80 days for a girl before she could return to full participation in religious life. To be purified, the mother would present an offering of either a dove or a pigeon and a lamb to the Temple priest.
This feast was first recorded in the early fourth century, though it didn’t yet have an official name and was originally observed on February 14—40 days after Jesus’ Epiphany, the day when Jesus is said to have been visited by the three wise men and acknowledged as Messiah.
(Were there three Nativity wise men—or twelve?)
When the Western Christian Church began celebrating Jesus’ birth on December 25 in A.D. 336, Candlemas was moved to February 2. Byzantine Emperor and Pope Sergius I introduced a candlelight procession, inspired by the Gospel of Luke’s story of Simeon, who saw the infant Jesus at the Temple and proclaimed that the boy would bring “a revealing light to the Gentiles, and glory to your people Israel.”
Over time, the blessing and distribution of candles during Mass became a central part of the annual rite, giving the day its more colloquial and succinct name—Candlemas.
How is Candlemas celebrated?
Candlemas continues to be observed across the globe, with different countries all putting their own cultural spin on the religious celebration.
In France and Belgium, Catholics gather and eat crêpes, as the food’s round, golden appearance is thought to resemble the sun. Children in Luxembourg carry lanterns and go door-to-door, singing a traditional song with pre-Christian roots, and are awarded with sweets or coins. In parts of Mexico, whoever finds the baby Jesus figure hidden inside a rosca de reyes (king cake) on Epiphany is later awarded the privilege of clothing the infant Jesus on Candlemas Day (Dia de la Candelaria), which is then taken to the church and blessed. This person is also responsible for preparing tamales for the family.
In the United States, Candlemas is observed with the blessing of candles for the church and home. A Christian practice which has endured in Western tradition since medieval times also maintains that any Christmas decorations not taken down by Twelfth Night (January 5) should be left up until Candlemas, to not bring bad luck to the home.
Are Candlemas and Groundhog Day the same?
Like with several other Western holidays, Candlemas is rooted in ancient agrarian or pagan traditions. Long before the Christian holiday, people across Europe already watched hibernating animals in early February to predict whether winter would linger, a practice tied to older seasonal markers like Imbolc. As Christianity spread, Candlemas became the fixed date that absorbed these local weather beliefs.
An English rhyme from the 17th century declares: “If Candlemas day be fair and bright / Winter will have another flight / If on Candlemas day it be shower and rain / Winter is gone and will not come again.” Western Europe soon got more creative, with bears, badgers, and hedgehogs serving as unlikely winter forecasters. If one emerged from its winter den, saw its shadow, and scampered back into inside, it signaled that winter would linger for weeks.
When German settlers immigrated to Pennsylvania in the 18th and 19th centuries, they brought their folklore celebrations across the Atlantic. German tradition used hedgehogs or badgers for spring weather predictions, but as hedgehogs were not native to the U.S., they switched to groundhogs. Groundhog Day was formally established in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, on February 2, 1887.
(Groundhog Day’s spring predictions no better than chance.)
While Groundhog Day is today observed by both religious and non-religious Americans alike, Candlemas remains unique and sacred to Christian communities across the world, who have added their own local traditions to the holiday. But Candlemas and Groundhog Day are intimately bound together, sharing not only a common date but a common aspiration for light and renewal, and offering a time to reflect on warmth and hope for the year ahead.
