What day does candlemass eve fall on?
Candlemas is usually on Feburay 2, so the Eve would be February 1. This is a church festival, which used to celebrate the time, after childbirth, when Mary could go out into society again after giving brith to Jesus. Mothers will know why this takes a few weeks. We are talking about a society, a long time ago, when aids to cleanliness were not so easily available. Nowadays it would be celebrated with candles, from whence the name comes, as it also marks the return of light, the Sun, back to lighten the days after the darkness of winter. It may be taken form the “Celtic” festival of Imbolc, which is also the day of St Brigit, the midwife of Mary in some traditions, though Brigit was a much more ancient “Celtic” diety who became a Christian saint and watched over poetry, healing and blacksmithing, so she was a very busy lady as she did these on top of midwifery.
