“Lichtmess”, or Candlemas as it is known in English, is the Christianised name for an age-old European festival celebrating the return of the light in the northern hemisphere, its roots going back to the Celtic festival of Imbolc celebrated on the evening of 1st February.
As of February, the increasing hours of daylight start to become more noticeable and the day’s work again begins and ends in daylight.
In the country calendar “Lichtmess” or Candlemas also marked the end of the annual employment contract for farmhands and maidservants: traditionally presented with a farewell gift of a new pair of shoes from their farmer employer, come Candlemas on 2nd February, farmhands were free to seek new masters for the next year.
Neither farmhand nor in need of a new master, this year I have marked the return of the light by gathering up the remains of the winter’s candles, combining them with some of last year’s pressed flowers from the orchard meadow, and stocking up on homemade summer candles ready for long, light evenings…
(The jars? My harvest of preserving jars with chips, cracks or missing lids…)
Beautiful! You’ve made me want to get out all our old, dusty candles that never get used, and burn them all tonight for Candlemas.
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Thank you – and I can throughly recommend gathering up all the old candles – it is such a good feeling to get rid of stuff by re-using it 🙂
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Wonderful! Love the candles.
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The French make crêpes for Candlemas. Do the Germans make a special food to celebrate?
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Not that I have experienced… Lichtmess as such barely gets a mention now – February is all about “Fasching” or carnival in Germany (mid-Feb) and the Fasching food is “Krapfen” i.e. doughnuts, the ball-shaped ones without a hollow in the middle, they are spherical with various fillings…
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Lovely and inspiring post. I wish Candlemas would return as a recognized celebration – I would take it over Valentine’s day – but no reason I can’t do my bit.
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Thank you Hilda! And I agree, the “return of the light” easily “overshadows” Valentine’s day for me 🙂
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Nice photos, really like it ! 🙂
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Thank you 🙂 I really like the fact that we have the light back!
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