1. LA CANDELARIA<br />44069047625<br />Forty days after the birth of Christ, an important day arrived for his mother, the Virgin Mary. <br />According to the religious customs of the time, a new mother was impure for a week after giving birth. If the child was a boy, she would then wait a further thirty-three days (much longer if it was a girl).<br /> Forty days after the birth of Christ, an important day arrived for his mother, the Virgin Mary. According to the religious customs of the time, a new mother was impure for a week after giving birth. If the child was a boy, she would then wait a further thirty-three days (much longer if it was a girl) before going to the Temple for the ritual of her purification and the presentation of the child. Because of her family's poverty, Mary's offering to the Temple would have been just a couple of pigeons or turtle doves. <br />Joseph would however, have had to pay five shekels to the priest - a first-born son was symbolically offered to God, then in effect ransomed back to the father.<br />On their visit to the Temple, the family met a man called Simeon, who had longprophesied that Jesus would be 'a light for revelation to the Gentiles', words that form part of his famous prayer, the Nunc dimittis. In recognition of this light, the day of the Purification of the Virgin, now more commonly called the Presentation of Our Lord, became associated with candles, hence another name for it, Candlemas and in Spanish La Candelaria.<br />1206545720Catholic churches used to bless the year's supply of candles on this day, the 2nd February, and candlelit processions also mark the occasion in some places, in Tenerife, for example. Anyone with the name Purificación will celebrate her name day today.<br />The day is linked to some non-religious beliefs too. Hibernating animals, such as bears or wolves, will traditionally use this day, when spring is not too far off, to emerge from their lairs to check out the weather, as will a certain rodent in the USA, giving its name to Groundhog Day. If these animals find that the weather is fine, it is considered a bad omen for the weather later on before going to the Temple for the ritual of her purification and the presentation of the child. Because of her family's poverty, <br />Mary's offering to the Temple would have been just a couple of pigeons or turtle doves. Joseph would however, have had to pay five shekels to the priest - a first-born son was symbolically offered to God, then in effect ransomed back to the father.<br />On their visit to the Temple, the family met a man called Simeon, who had longprophesied that Jesus would be 'a light for revelation to the Gentiles', words that form part of his famous prayer, the Nunc dimittis. In recognition of this light, the day of the Purification of the Virgin, now more commonly called the Presentation of Our Lord, became associated with candles, hence another name for it, Candlemas and in Spanish La Candelaria.<br />Catholic churches used to bless theyear's supply of candles on this day, the 2nd February, and candlelit processions also mark the occasion in some places, in Tenerife, for example. Anyone with the name Purificación will celebrate her name day today.<br />The day is linked to some non-religious beliefs too. Hibernating animals, such as bears or wolves, will traditionally use this day, when spring is not too far off, to emerge from their lairs to check out the weather, as will a certain rodent in the USA, giving its name to Groundhog Day. If these animals find that the weather is fine, it is considered a bad omen for the weather later on.<br />