CANDLEMAS RITUAL (FOLK TRADITION)

Candlemas, located in mid-winter in astronomical time, is the same cycle rural / vegetative late winter and early spring, a well-known fact that people associate this day with a forecast which would determine whether or not the end of the ugly time. Who does not remember the old saying? The Lady Candlemas We are winter drilling But if it is raining or windy In the winter we are inside And 'then a moment of transition between the winter / dark / "death" and the spring / light / awakening. This passage is celebrated through the purification and preparation for the new season. Roots of Candlemas Candlemas is the popular name (derived from the Late Latin "candelorum", for "candelaram" blessing of the candles) given by the Christian holiday celebrated on February 2nd in memory of the Presentation of Mary to the Temple forty days after the birth of Jesus This as for the Jews, after the birth of a male, a woman was considered unclean for a period of 40 days. The origins of this feast, however, are above and are found in many forms but all have the same meaning in different regions of the European continent. At the time of ancient Rome we find the celebration of Lupercalia, rituals that were celebrated on the Ides of February, for the last month of the Romans, which consisted of purification practices / propitiation before the advent of the new year and propitiate fertility. Another special moment of the festival was the 'februatio', the purification of the city, in which women roamed the streets with candles and torches, a symbol of light. Just the term derives from the name of the current month of February. In Celtic tradition this event is called instead of Imbolc (from imbolg - in the womb) and is particularly linked to the goddess Brigit (or Brigid), god of fire, and healing traditions, this festival also underwent changes with the advent of ' Christian era and the ancient goddess was replaced by St. Bridget, to whom are attributed all the characteristics of the gods, particularly that of the sacred fire. Always on the origins of the Italic Candlemas, in the "Almanac Toscano" the year 1805 finds this text: "In the morning the blessing of candles, which are distributed to the faithful, the function which was established by the Church to remove an old custom of the Gentiles, that on this day in honor of the false goddess Februar with torches were flowing through cities', changing the superstition in religion and piety 'Christian'. For the record, the Gentiles were pagans, and the Goddess was Junius Februar Februar (Juno purified), which was celebrated in Rome on the Kalends of February. Thus, the purification of Mary was made to coincide (to replace it altogether or almost) with the pagan festival dedicated to Juno and the Lupercalia. The custom of blessing the candles, but it seems to be of French origin, and after the procession (is documented in Rome between the ninth and tenth century.)

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Giorno di esecuzione: Il primo Febbraio verso la mezza notte.