gothidays... a holiday ending & weather...

cookies from Candlemas Brunch's past

It’s much too early to think about Candlemas which is good because it's a sad time for me. Because of that, I've hosted brunches and created my own Candlemas traditions. If you're going to conclude Christmas, I think you have to do it right and mark the event. You shouldn't just take down the decorations; that just feels sad.

On this seventh day of The Curious Professor Z's Gothidays event (see the picture to the right and click!), I'm discussing an old Polish tradition, one that even my family didn’t follow when I was growing up. 

My Christmas decorations remain up until February 2^nd or until Candlemas… which I often have to explain to folks is the day most in this country acknowledge as Groundhog’s Day.
 
You see, Christmas in my house lasts until Candlemas. While everyone is Christmasing now (and technically we're in Advent and believe it or not, our Christmas tree isn't up just yet), I keep Christmasing while many of you have your trees and decorations taken down and all put away.

Christmas Day is the START of Christmas! It is only beginning! And while the commercialism ceases, the festivities can and do continue in my world.

Candlemas is the midpoint of winter, halfway between the December solstice and the March equinox. It was the hope and welcome for the return of spring and for the sun to return.

Groundhog's Day cookies 2009
Team Winter vs. Team Summer

It was believed that the weather on Candlemas Day would predict the forthcoming weather, just as we look to today’s Punxsutawney Phil to predict the weather for the remaining winter. If the weather is bright and sunny, the rest of winter will be bleak. If the weather is stormy and wet, the worst of the winter weather is over.

If Candlemas be fair and bright,
Come, Winter, have another flight;
If Candlemas brings clouds and rain,
Go Winter, and come not again.

From an old Catholic perspective especially during the Middle Ages, it was the day that parishioners would bring their candles to the church to be blessed by the priest to ward off any evil spirits. If you’ve ever attended any type of candle lighting ceremony in the darkest of winter you’ll know how powerful this must have been especially in one of those medieval churches.

Candles were sources of light and they were also thought to offer protection against illness and even plague. One superstition believed by the Romans was that on winter nights a lit candle would frighten away evil spirits. Before electric lights, candles were extremely important. Metaphorically the candle is the light of Jesus. Christians considered the world dark and lost until the light of the world was born.

Yet, another source of brightness connected with the day is Candlemas Bells or Snowdrops. The Latin name is Galanthus, which means "milk flower".

The Legend of the Snowdrop

According to legend, the flower became the symbol of hope when Adam and Eve were cast out of Eden. Eve was about to give up hope that winter would cease to end when an angel appeared. She angel transformed snowflakes into Snowdrop flowers showing that the winter will return to spring.

According to Christian belief, these flowers symbolize hope while others consider snowdrops to be a symbol of Christ bringing hope to the world.  
Garden Snowdrops are known for their early arrival. They can show up weeks before crocuses, and will even often poke through snow. In the South, Snowdrops may even bloom all winter long.

It has been considered unlucky to bring Snowdrops into the home before Candlemas; yet, some people think that they help purify a home.

2010 brunch cookies

Robert Herrick’s poem “Ceremonies for Candlemas Eve” offers:

Green rushes, then, and sweetest bents,
With cooler oaken boughs,

Come in for comely ornaments
To re-adorn the house.
Thus times do shift; each thing his turn does hold;
New things succeed, as former things grow old.

Team Suns or Team Snowflakes? 

During my brunches I ask friends and family members to select their cookies based on their own predictions. 

Fortunately, it is only the start of Christmas! Last night my fella and I decorated our trees for the season and set out decorations around the house. The haunted house is decorated; the recycled bottle Nativity is set out. Everything is sparkling and bright. Yesterday, I braved Williamsburg Outlets traffic to pick-up the Fruitcake Confection
and the Royal Riviera Pears from Harry & David's. I sent out the first set of Christmas cards to friends, and I'm almost finished buying presents.

  


I want to thank Franny from The Curious Professor Z for hosting Gothidays 2015. This event has kicked off my holiday season and gotten me into the spirit! I look forward to sharing more details about my gothy holiday events and reading about yours. Thanks readers for actively following along during one of the busiest times of years (of course for me, it's end-of-semester busy). 

 











Merry Gothidays to One and All!