Candlemas

Candlemas - "Day of Consecrated Life". Presentation of the Lord, Latin Praesentatio Jesu in Templo, also Presentation in the Temple, anciently Jesus' Sacrifice in the Temple, formerly also Purification of the Virgin Mary, Latin Purificatio Beatae Mariae Virginis, popularly also Candlemas or (outdated) Our Lady's Consecration of Light, is a feast celebrated on February 2, the fortieth day after Christmas.

Originally, the feast was centered on the story of the Presentation of Jesus, as told by St. Luke, but other motifs were soon added. The Presentation of the Lord, who according to the New Testament Christmas stories had been born in Bethlehem, became the first entry of Jesus into the City of David, Jerusalem. The ancient custom, according to which the inhabitants of a city went to meet their ruler on his first visit, was incorporated into the festive liturgy at an early date. On the way from Jerusalem to Bethlehem was a monastery founded by a woman named Hikelia. Hikelia is said to have equipped the monks with candles so that they could go to meet Christ and then join him on the journey to the holy city. The procession of lights, which originated in the 5th century, is rooted in this legend. It still has a fixed place in the feast day liturgy of the Roman Catholic Church and is justified, among other things, by the New Testament biblical passage (Lk 2:32 EU).