www.byzcath.org Forums Faith & Christian Life The Christian East & West Candlemas customs

Dear Alex,

Yes, that's the way to do it. Our parish keeps a nativity scene outdoors until Candlemas. After Mass a rosary is said (with music!) and the image of the Christ Child is brought into the church to be "presented in the temple".

Traditionally, those who found the baby doll baked inside the 'rosca de reyes'(king's cake) on Epiphany Day are supposed to throw a party on Candlemas. My mother says there was always a big dance in her village on Febuary 2nd. Candlemas is still big in Latin America.

" La Virgen de la Candelaria" (the Virgin of Candlemas) is a popular title for Our Lady in Latin America and it used to be common to name children after her: Candelaria for girls, Candelario for boys. I have a couple of aunts named Candelaria.

Happy Saint Blaise's Day !

Dear Manuel,

What a brilliant tradition!

Bringing in the Christ Child from the Nativity Scene to be presented in the Church!

I love it!!

Is the title "Our Lady of Candlemas" also a title for a miraculous image of the Mother of God?

We celebrate Candlemas/the Meeting in the Temple on February 15 and I'll just have to see what I can do . . .

As you know, there are other feasts that have "Mass" tacked on the end: Childermas (Children killed by Herod), Andermas (St Andrew's Day), Johnmas (or "Seamus" in the Irish tradition), "Lammas" for the blessing of the loaves in August, Michaelmas, Martinmas, Ladymas (Annunciation), etc.

But what a beautiful and meaningful tradition!

Honest to God, Manuel, you have made my day . . .

Alex

Dear Alex,
Yes, it is a brilliant tradition. I don't know if my first post was clear enough, but the custom is for anyone to bring their image(s) of the Christ Child to be "presented in the temple" and blessed during Mass. The special rosary I mentioned above was for the parish nativity scene, but plenty of people do the same in their homes.

Did this give you any ideas?

Actually, "Our Lady of Candlemas" is a title for at least several miraculous images of Our Lady. I know for sure that one is honored in Bolivia. Of course, this day is also known as the "Purification of Our Lady" so I think its always had a strong Marian flavor in the Western Church.

I also have it on good authority ( my aunt ) that the feast day of "Our Lady of San Juan de los Lagos" from Jalisco, Mexico is February 2nd. She said she is really "Our Lady of Candlemas" but nowadays most people name her for the town (San Juan de los Lagos) where she is located in western Mexico. This image is highly venerated in Mexico.

Someone mentioned holy water. Is there a day in the Byzantine church when holy water is brought home from church?

p.s. I hope I'm not annoying people with my posts. I just really appreciate this website and learn a lot from it. I just try to give back by sharing a bit of what I know.

Dear Manuel,

Why would you be annoying anyone?

If someone says you are, tell them to go to . . . Purgatory!

Yes, I have the image of the Virgin of San Juan de los Lagos! I'll look up some more images of "Candelaria!"

(When it comes to miraculous images of the Mother of God, you really can never have enough, you know.)

Holy Water is blessed and distributed on the Feast of the Theophany (your "Epiphany").

There are "smaller blessings of Holy Water" such as on the Feast of the Cross in August.

The priests come and bless your home after the Feast of Epiphany until Candlemas, er, the Meeting of our Lord.

Mine is swinging by this Saturday . . .

I've learned so much today. God bless Mexico!

Alex

Dear Ung-Certez,

To respond to your question, yes the blessing of throats is still in the ritual books of the Roman Catholic church. The feast of St. Blaise is also still observed - though it is listed as an "optional memorial". This means that it is not mandated or required to be celebrated.

The category was added to the revised liturgical calendar following Vatican II. It was felt that the former Latin ordo was getting too complicated with 1st and 2nd class feasts falling on the same day. Oh well, I guess it was a good idea to streamline the calendar, but I wonder if we lost something in the process?

Here at the Abbey we do celebrate the feast and maintain the traditional blessing of throats. This is due to the fact we have a Br. Blaise. We have the longstanding custom of commemorating the patronal saints of our members. Unfortunately, this only applies to those who are on the Roman calendar, so no mention of St. Elias on July 20th!

Oh well, I recall my heavenly patron anyway by praying the tropar & kontakion from the Byzantine Book of Prayer

PAX

Br. Elias

Dear Brother Elias,

St Elias is not on the Roman Calendar?

Oh, Brother . . .

We honour him highly!

The Eastern Church is very much a "For-Prophet" kind of place . . .

Alex

Dear Manuel,

There is a "Saint Manuel" a martyr commemorated on the Old Calendar today.

Happy Feast day!

Alex

In extention to Fr Elias the Benedictine's assertion that the blessing of throats is done, as far as I can tell, the blessing is done in most RC parishes in Missouri. Here in central Mo., I know of some priests that bless throats for the whole octave, including the Sunday after, owing to the immense popularity of the blessing, and the difficulty many have in getting to the late morning daily Masses here.

Dear Alex,

St Bucolus the Bishop of Smyrna, Smyrna(ca 100), whose feast is celebrated on February 3, the holy Martyr Blaise of Caesarea, in Cappadocia
Caesarea, Cappadocia (ca 308-309), whose feast is celebrated on February 6, and Holy Hieromartyr Blaise the Bishop of Sebaste
(Sebaste, ca 316), whose feast is celebrated on Febvruary 11, are three diferent saints. St Blaise of Caesarea was a shepherd and is known in Greek as St Blaise the Shepherd (ο Άγιος Βλάσιος ο βουκόλος), the name of the holy bishop of Smyrna means also "shepherd" (Άγιος Βούκολος). The Greek community and the Greek consul in Smyrna are making a lot of effords to open again a Greek Orthodox Church in the formerly Greek city of St Polycarp (the small Greek comunity in the city uses for its neeeds the place of the Protestant Church) in the ancient church of Saint Boukolos. May Saint Boukolos, Saint Polycarp and Saint Fotini bless their effords.
Yours in Christ,
F

Dear Alex,

Thank you! That's wonderful news. It is good to have another intercessor in heaven! Can you share St. Manuel's story with us?

Dear Manuel,

He is a "minor" St Manuel, an early Christian Martyr about whom little is known,

I would want to be careful what I say about him anyway, with the likes of Francisco around . . .

(Francisco is as detail-oriented as my wife - but I love them anyway!)

I'll find out more about others - there are over 130 St Alexanders in the Calendar alone.

Alex

Dear Friends,

There is a beautiful wooden Shrine in Wales called "Our Lady of the Taper" which is also a Candlemas Madonna and the Feast is on February 2nd (New Calendar).

It is a seated Madonna holding a candle.

Alex

Dear Manuel,

The St Manuel I mentioned was the Bishop of Adrianople and was killed under the Bulgarian Prince Grubosh by a fellow named "Zok" on 22 January, 814 AD.

Another St Manuel is a Greek New Martyr on the Island of Chios, commemorated on March 15.

He was raised as a Janissary and a Muslim, but decided to return to the Church, for which he was beheaded.

Alex

Thought I'd mention that last Sunday's 6 PM newscast on the Canadian Broadcasting Company (CBC) Radio 1, carried from "coast to coast to coast" had a little feature about Ukrainian Christmas holiday season celebrations in Canada and mentioned that the celebrations conclude with the blessing of the candles this Saturday.