Today is February 2nd. Since most of my readers are Protestants, your most likely association with February 2nd is Groundhog Day. (I could enjoy watching that movie again!) People from the Roman Catholic and Anglican traditions would also know that February 2nd is Candlemas. Astronomers know this date as “cross-quarter” day. That they all coincide, is no coincidence!
Candlemas is not the proper liturgical name for February 2nd; it’s the popular name. The proper name of the celebration held today is the “Feast of the Presentation of our Lord.” In Luke 2:22, we read, “When the time came for their purification according to the law of Moses, they brought him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord.” Forty days after his birth, Mary and Joseph brought Jesus to the Temple to present him to the Lord and to make the appropriate sacrifice. When Jesus is presented, he is greeted by Anna and Simeon who recognize him as God’s promised Messiah.
Here’s where the astronomical part comes in. 40 days after Christmas puts us smack dab in the middle of the cross-quarter day. The cross-quarter day is halfway between the Winter solstice and the Spring equinox. By the time we get halfway to the Spring equinox, the days are significantly longer. In more temperate parts of the world, crocuses and snow bells are pushing their way up into the sunshine by the beginning of February.
In celebration of the increasing light, medieval churches would bless the liturgical candles at the mass for the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord. Over time, the tradition expanded to include the blessing of the candles people brought from homes. Eventually, processions through the town with lit candles were made to the church, singing the Song of Simeon, which is read on this feast day:
Lord, you now have set your servant free
to go in peace as you have promised;
For these eyes of mine have seen the Savior,
whom you have prepared for all the world to see:
A Light to enlighten the nations,
and the glory of your people Israel. (Luke 2:29-32)
Even folks who don’t live in the frozen tundra are looking forward to spring by the time we get to February, and this date became a bellwether for the prospect of spring. This was a poem that was used to predict the weather based on the conditions on Candlemas day.
If Candlemas be fair and bright,
Come winter, have another flight.
If Candlemas bring clouds and rain,
Go winter, and come not again.
So, if it’s sunny, winter is going to hang around, but if it’s cloudy, that’s a sign that spring is going to break through and winter is nearly done. Another saying that recognizes Candlemas as halfway to spring is this: “Half your wood and half your hay, you should have on Candlemas Day.”
So, the groundhog is not the crucial player. Any object that casts a shadow will do. (Don’t tell the good folks of Punxsutawney.) I will never be hired to do promotions for the Western New York tourism board, but we know that whatever the weather is like on February 2nd, you’d be wise to expect wintry weather to persist until April.
February 2nd doesn’t feel half-way to Spring, does it? A babe in the arms of a peasant couple offering the required sacrifices in the Temple didn’t look like the in-breaking of the Messiah either. But Simeon and Anna, who looked with the eyes of faith, were able to see the baby Jesus as the sign of God’s kingdom dawning.
Prayer: Gracious God, on this day that is half-way to Spring, give me eyes to see the promise of things yet to blossom. Amen.