L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 6, 2025 www.italoamericano.org 24 L'Italo-Americano T he Candelora, known in English as Candlemas, i s a C h r i s t i a n feast celebrated on February 2nd, commemo- rating the Presentation of Jesus at the Temple and the P u r i f i c a t i o n o f t h e V i r g i n M a r y ; t h o u g h l e s s k n o w n than other religious celebra- tions, the Candelora has a significant place in Italian c u l t u r a l m e m o r y . F a l l i n g b e t w e e n C h r i s t m a s a n d Carnevale, it is a moment that many Italians associate with childhood memories of their grandmothers bringing home blessed candles from church: often adorned with images of saints, the Virgin Mary, or Jesus, they were treasured objects placed in bedrooms as symbols of pro- tection. The ritual of carrying a n d b l e s s i n g c a n d l e s remains, still today, an essen- tial part of the feast. While firmly grounded in Christian tradition, the Can- delora also bears connections to earlier pagan practices, notably from Roman and C e l t i c c u l t u r e s . L e t u s explore them. R o m a n o r i g i n s : t h e festival of Lupercalia In ancient Rome, February was a month dedicated to purification and fertility rituals. The Lupercalia, which was celebrated on Feb- r u a r y 1 5 t h , w a s t h e m o s t important event of this part o f t h e y e a r . D e d i c a t e d t o Faunus, the Roman god of agriculture and fertility, it involved rites aimed at puri- fying the city and promoting health and fertility. Partici- p a n t s , k n o w n a s L u p e r c i , would perform sacrifices and r u n t h r o u g h t h e s t r e e t s wielding strips of goat hide, believed to bestow fertility upon those they touched. The term februa referred to these purification instruments, and it is from this word that the month of February derives its n a m e . T h e L u p e r c a l i a ' s emphasis on purification and the use of candles and torch- es in its rituals present paral- l e l s t o t h e l a t e r C h r i s t i a n observance of Candlemas: as Christianity spread through- out the Roman Empire, many pagan customs were reinter- preted and integrated into Christian practices, and the Candelora's association with light and purification can be seen as a continuation of t h e s e e a r l i e r t r a d i t i o n s , adapted to fit the narrative of the Presentation of Jesus and the Purification of Mary. C e l t i c c o n n e c t i o n s : Imbolc and the goddess Brigid It is not, however, only the Romans who link Candlemas to ancient pagan beliefs. In the Celtic tradition, partic- ularly among the Gaelic peo- ples, February 1st marked t h e f e s t i v a l o f I m b o l c , which signaled the beginning of spring and was closely associated with the goddess Brigid, a deity of fertility, healing, and poetry. Imbolc celebrations involved — you guessed it — the lighting of candles and fires to symbol- ize the returning light of the sun and the lengthening of days. Rituals included the making of Brigid's crosses from rushes and the creation o f a b e d f o r t h e g o d d e s s , inviting her blessings for the coming year. With the Christianization of Ireland, many aspects of t h e I m b o l c f e s t i v a l w e r e incorporated into the feast day of Saint Brigid, cele- b r a t e d o n F e b r u a r y 1 s t . Indeed, Saint Brigid shares m a n y a t t r i b u t e s w i t h h e r pagan namesake, and her feast day retained customs such as the lighting of can- dles and the invocation of blessings for fertility and protection. The proximity of Saint Brigid's Day to Candle- mas further connects these traditions and highlights the blending of pagan and Chris- tian practices in the early medieval period. The Christian feast of Candlemas Candlemas is observed 40 d a y s a f t e r C h r i s t m a s , a s called for by the Jewish cus- tom of purification 40 days postpartum. According to the Gospel of Luke, Mary a n d J o s e p h b r o u g h t t h e infant Jesus to the Temple in Jerusalem to present him to the Lord and to offer a sacri- fice, as prescribed in the Law of Moses. During this event, Simeon, a devout man, rec- ognized Jesus as the Messiah and proclaimed him "a light for revelation to the Gen- tiles." This proclamation is central to the Candlemas cel- ebration, symbolized by the blessing and procession of candles, representing Christ as the light of the world. The ritual of blessing candles and the emphasis on light during the Candlemas/Candelora is a clear memento of the earli- er pagan traditions of using light to signify purification and the return of the sun, as it was for the Celts and the Romans. The integration of these symbols into the Chris- tian feast well embodies the early Church's strategy of adopting and reinterpreting existing customs to facilitate the transition from paganism to Christianity. R e g i o n a l v a r i a t i o n s and cultural significance of the Candelora Throughout Europe, the Candelora has been cele- b r a t e d w i t h v a r i o u s l o c a l customs that reflect a blend of Christian and pre-Christ- i a n t r a d i t i o n s . I n s o m e regions, it is customary to remove Christmas decora- tions on this day, a practice that may recall earlier rituals of marking the end of the winter season and preparing for spring. Weather lore is also associated with the day, for instance, a sunny Candle- mas is believed to predict a prolonged winter, a belief also part of the North Ameri- can Groundhog Day tradi- tion. In Italy, the proverb Per la santa Candelora, se nevica o se plora, dell'inverno siamo fora; ma se è sole o solicello, s i a m o s e m p r e a m e z z o inverno reflects this weath- er-related superstition and s u g g e s t s t h a t i n c l e m e n t w e a t h e r o n C a n d l e m a s means the end of winter is near, while fair weather pre- dicts its continuation. The Candelora is a clear e x a m p l e o f h o w c l o s e l y pagan traditions and Christ- ian practices cohabited; its s i m i l a r i t i e s w i t h R o m a n purification rites, and Celtic celebrations of light and fer- tility exemplify the ways in which early Christian obser- vances were shaped by exist- ing cultural customs. Today, the Candelora continues to be a meaningful celebration for many, and still brings to our homes themes of light, purification, and the cyclical renewal of life. GIULIA FRANCESCHINI The blessing of the candles during Candlemas, or Candelora, as we say in Italian (Image created with DALL-E 2) From Rome to the Celts: the ancient origins of the Candelora LA VITA ITALIANA TRADITIONS HISTORY CULTURE

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