...the Candlemas garden predictor...

As Christmas in my household winds down, I have a touch of melancholy. The decorations will be put away; the handles will no longer light the windows. Everything feels like it is losing its magic. Or does it?

Small buds on the Red Bud tree

Candlemas approaches. This midpoint of winter, halfway between the December solstice and the March equinox, enables us to hope and welcome the return of spring and the sun. With the weather being so overcast, I am really looking forward to the sun.

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.

This week will have temperatures in the 60s during the day and low teens at night. Looking at the weather app, Candlemas, which is February 2^nd, there is clouds and sunshine so there’s no telling what is in store… except if I look out into the garden.

 

Since we moved into our house in summer, it has been exciting to see what was planted before us (except maybe for that ivy! But it was fun to discover the woods and the brick path under the ivy!) We have berries on some of the holly trees, and recently I have been watching these bulbs grow. I had hoped that they would be paperwhites but I think they’re a bit too large for that.

We also have this glorious bush in the backyard that we have suspected is a variety of Daphne odora. A few weeks ago, I noticed that she was growing buds and recently the buds have hints of pink. Because I have been researching the Daphne odora, I have learned that there are two types: the first has solid green leaves while the second has a green leaf with a pale yellow-near white border along the outside edge of each leaf. This variety is referred to as Aureo-marginata. That is what we have. Daphne odora also have two discrete flower colors with blooms that are white or pink, which open to reveal a cream color throat. I cannot wait until she blooms, especially since the fragrance is supposed to be the real showstopper. She will perfume the entire yard for about six weeks and I will want to be out in the garden.

The Daphne is the bush in the center between our copse and the yard.

It is still too early for me to tidy up the garden but we did have a tree company out yesterday to look over the broken branches from the ice storm. Only two branches need to be pruned. Overall, the pines and the Sweet Gum are healthy and happy. Those darn gum balls are everywhere so we’re learning about when our Sweet Gums prefer to drop them.

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!   

... an emotional weekend and Candlemas...

This has been an emotional weekend. For starters, I am fighting a cold (coughing and just wanting to sleep). The weekend also began with some research/ adventures.

On Saturday morning, we met with a realtor to view a local house built in 1920.  It went on the market on Thursday (I called about it that day and we scheduled to view it on Saturday morning). It was an absolutely perfect fixer upper and we would have put in an offer if we didn't already own two houses. This was only supposed to be a viewing to help us process information since we’re putting my fella’s townhome on the market in the spring; we certainly weren't trying to fall in love. Aside from it having the PERFECT location to the train station (literally a hop, skip and a jump… okay maybe a few more steps but if I deboarded and it were raining, it would be no big deal to walk home). There was a gorgeous magnolia out front and the best possible gardener's backyard in the whole (Center of the) Universe! But if I’m being honest, the main selling feature for me was that there was a secret room that had been sealed up! That room even had a window! Oh the stories that I made in my head. My fella and I discussed it and he actually thought it was doable to carry a third mortgage temporarily but we’re ants, not grasshoppers and suppose one of us got sick or hurt… suppose his house doesn’t sell as quickly as we hope…. Okay, it isn’t fun to think this way. It’s much more Romantic to have an all-in kind of attitude but I’m from a working class family and I have been poor before (read that as couldn’t afford heat and at times worked four jobs to pay the bills). Anything that doesn’t seem financial prudent and can be avoided, should be. We have a roof over our heads and we’re fine. We don’t need a house, even if it’s nearly fixer upper perfect. As an update, I can tell that the house sold on Saturday. Someone was supposed to bring in an offer that very did and apparently they did. Good for them. It looks like a great house with old charm and I hope they love it… and if they flip it, well maybe we’ll look at it again.

After the house adventure we headed to the Virginia War Memorial for their Artifacts Roadshow. It was super exciting to watch an expert Nerd-Out on a Civil War picture of my maternal great, great, great grandfather. I really just wanted to learn how to care for the picture but when he asked if he could take it apart we learned much more. It's an ambrotype (is a positive photograph on glass). Because I know who it is and because there is actually writing from when the picture was taken (Dec 1862), I learned that the pose meant two possible photographers in the Petersburg, Va area. There is also an address written inside so while there was a line today, the expert spoke to me for about 20 minutes, cleaned the glass covering the picture, and gave me his business card because he would like to do more research. He said the cost of the photograph was about $3 (which was a good amount for a dirt farmer in 1862). Today's estimated worth is at least $1500, not that it’s for sale.

Finally, tomorrow is Candlemas which means that our Christmas decorations (and trees) will come down. It always makes me a bit sad even though the season is changing and it is time to move on. The Snowdrops (right) and Black Queen of the Night tulips (left) are starting to sprout while living in my bathroom. I’ve been forcing bulbs all winter. It’s so much fun to watch flowers grow.

Candlemas doesn’t mean over-the-top celebrations. We’ll most likely have a pancake dinner. Traditional Candlemas foods include crepes and pancakes because they are considered symbols of the sun due to their round shape and golden color. We’ll light candles. If you are fortunate enough to have a fireplace, clean out your hearth and then light a new fire. We will sit around the candlelight and reflect on our hopes for the coming year. What do you hope to accomplish? What are you passionate about? What seeds do you wish to plant?

Wishing you a wonderful Candlemas Day.