Saturday, January 30, 2016

Candlemas: The End of the Christmas Season

Many of us think that Christmas ends on December 25.  The minute the gifts are unwrapped and the food eaten, it's time to put away the decorations.



Some of us celebrate until January 6, Epiphany, Three Kings Day.



Three years ago, I'd have been on my way to Mepkin Abbey.  I knew about Candlemas as a feast day, the day 40 days after Christmas which celebrates the day that Jesus would have been presented at the temple.



I knew that some monastic communities bless the candles that will be used for the upcoming year during Candlemas, and the Mepkin monks did bless a supply of candles.

non-Mepkin candles, made in my backyard


I didn't anticipate that Christmas decorations would still be hung.



Along the path remained some creches.



Although we get another minute or two of light each day, it still feels like the darkest days of the year. 



What a comfort to have a reminder of the light that has never left us, no matter how dark it seems.

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