Candlemas, part 1

As of sundown this evening, Candlemas arrived. And what a sunset to usher in this mid-point between winter and spring. I barely made it outside as the sun was disappearing behind the trees, and the blue-violet reflection on our leftover snow was breathtaking.

We brought our special angel candleholder out just before sunset and let her candle to shine throughout our dinner hour.

Earlier in the day, we made these adorable yarn sheep and talked about Imbolc, the festival celebration of the mid-point between winter solstice and spring equinox. Imbolc actually refers to "ewe's milk" since the spring lambs are arriving around this time. (We hope to see some new lambs the weekend after next when we head to the yearly sheep-shearing at our favorite farm.)

Baaaaa!

We ended the day reading a brief story about Saint Brigid, who also has ties to Imbolc and Candlemas, as this is her feast day.

Lastly, we read this old English song about the weather on Candlemas:

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

Tradition dictated that if the sun cast a shadow on Candlemas day, more winter was on the way; if there was no shadow, winter was thought to be nearly over. This practice led to the folklore behind "Groundhog's Day," which falls on Candlemas. Considering the weather here lately, we're anxious to see what the weather will be like tomorrow!