Candlemas

Origins and biblical roots

The feast draws its meaning from the biblical account in the Gospel of Luke, where Mary and Joseph presented Jesus at the Temple according to ancient purification laws. A fourth-century pilgrim named Egeria documented the earliest recorded celebration in Jerusalem during the 380s. She described joyful processions to the Anastasis, alongside sermons reflecting on the encounter between the holy family, Simeon, and the prophetess Anna. The festival later spread across the Christian world, fixed to 2 February in places where Christmas was kept on 25 December. Over the centuries, traditions developed in regions such as the Canary Islands, where devotion centred around an image of the Virgin Mary found by shepherds.

Blessing the lights

A central church ritual involves consecrating candles during worship. Catholics, Eastern Orthodox, Anglicans, and Evangelical-Lutherans bring tapers to services so they can be blessed for household and liturgical use. These lights represent Jesus as the Light of the World. In Hungarian folklore, consecrated candles acquired protective and healing roles, such as being affixed to doorknobs for fortune or placed on the body during illness. Some Hungarian communities also wound coloured threads around the candles, later weaving the yarn into protective necklaces for children to wear until the arrival of spring or Holy Saturday.

Pancakes and children's lanterns

In France, Belgium, and western Switzerland, the day is celebrated by eating thin crêpes and pancakes. Their circular, golden appearance recalls the sun and welcomes returning spring light. Cooks playfully flip pancakes with their right hand while gripping a coin in their left to invite financial luck. In Luxembourg, children observe Liichtmëssdag by walking from house to house in the evening with glowing lanterns or handmade wands. They sing traditional tunes for neighbours in exchange for sweets or loose coins. In Mexico, families celebrate by dressing images of the Christ Child and gathering to share tamales.

Farming cycles and shadow lore

Historically, Candlemas marked an essential turning point in the European agricultural calendar. In Germany, it began the farming year and concluded the contracts of servants, who received their final wages and sometimes a new pair of shoes. Rural communities watched the skies closely for clues about the remaining winter. People believed that if animals such as hedgehogs in Germany or bears in Hungary and Catalonia saw their shadows on a sunny Candlemas, cold weather would linger for a second winter. This German folk belief eventually evolved into North American Groundhog Day.

How Candlemas is kept

Congregations gather in church for services where clergy bless wax candles that families take home for the year ahead. In many regions, households dismantle their Christmas cribs and festive decorations. Children in Luxembourg carry lanterns through the streets while singing songs at doorsteps for treats. Families in France and Belgium make pancakes, testing their luck by flipping the batter while holding a coin. Across Mexico, communities dress figures of the Christ Child and eat tamales together.

When and where

Candlemas falls annually on 2 February, marking forty days from Christmas Day. In Swedish and Finnish Lutheran churches, it is celebrated on the Sunday occurring between 2 and 8 February, shifting one week earlier if that date meets Shrove Sunday.

The observance is kept globally by Christian communities, with established local customs across Western and Eastern Europe, Latin America, and beyond. It holds deep roots in countries such as France, Belgium, Germany, Hungary, Luxembourg, Spain, and Mexico.

What Candlemas means

The blessed candle stands for Jesus Christ as the Light of the World, offering spiritual hope during the dark midwinter. Golden round pancakes mirror the solar disc, representing the promise of warmth and the approaching spring. In rural tradition, the date also embodies renewal, marking the restart of agricultural labour and the transition to lighter working days.

On the table

• Crêpes
• Pancakes
• Honey
• Tamales

Days Candlemas is marked

Candlemas dates: 2026, 2027, 2028

Questions people ask about Candlemas

See also

St John's EveBonfires, feasting and worship on the short night before John the Baptist's feastAdvent wreathAn evergreen ring of candles lit week by week in the lead-up to ChristmasMay DayA traditional European festival welcoming summer with greenery, dances and bonfiresBusójárásA six-day winter carnival of carved wooden masks, folk music, and parades in Mohács

Good reading and sources

• Encyclopaedia BritannicaArticle

• Candlemas on WikipediaEncyclopedia
• More photos on Wikimedia CommonsPhotos and video
• Wikidata recordOpen data

It may contain mistakes. Traditions differ from one family, village and community to the next, and the people who keep them know them best. If something is wrong, tell us. Last refreshed 2026-10-04.