On Monday morning at dawn, Punxsutawney Phil emerges from his burrow, and if he sees his shadow, North America faces six extra weeks of winter. Whereas groundhogs don’t inhabit Newfoundland and Labrador, residents of those areas keep their very own distinctive traditions tied to February 2.
Non secular Roots in Candlemas
February 2 marks the Christian Feast of the Presentation of the Lord, honoring the second Mary and Joseph offered their toddler son Jesus on the temple in Jerusalem, following Jewish customs. Within the Center Ages and early trendy period, today was extensively often called Candlemas. Clergymen blessed the church’s yearly provide of candles, symbolizing the sunshine Jesus dropped at the world. Parishioners obtained these candles for hymns or processions lit by their glow.
Folks carried the consecrated candles house for defense and success. Girls dripped sacred wax on kids’s caps, work garments, and home items to bless them. This follow persists in areas like St. Mary’s Bay. Fishermen lit blessed candles at sea throughout storms to defend their vessels. In locations reminiscent of Fogo and the Bay of Islands, clear climate on Candlemas signaled a affluent summer time fishery.
In the course of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, Candlemas held such significance within the Dominion of Newfoundland that it turned a statutory vacation. Companies shut down, and even servants loved the break day.
Secular Celebrations and Neighborhood Feasts
Because the midpoint between the winter solstice and spring equinox, Candlemas supplied an opportunity to have a good time winter’s midway level and anticipate spring’s arrival. Communities saved away winter candles whereas getting ready new ones for the yr forward. Although daylight had lengthened since December 21, Candlemas signified the season’s true shift, permitting late afternoon duties underneath pure mild.
Residents of the Avalon Peninsula recited a rhyme, presumably introduced from southeastern Eire: “Candles and candlesticks, put you away, And eat your supper by the sunshine of the day.” To dispel winter doldrums, Newfoundlanders and Labradorians hosted events, parades, and dances. These gatherings usually centered on Candlemas Truffles, a shared fruitcake custom.
In some communities, males wagered elements like flour, molasses, and raisins throughout weekly card video games as a substitute of cash. The weekly loser equipped their portion, and on Candlemas, the group convened with their wives at one house to savor the cake, usually baked by the ladies regardless of their exclusion from the video games. This pooling of assets mirrored mid-winter rationing to stretch provides till spring.
Francophone communities on the Port au Port Peninsula noticed La Chandeleur, the French time period for Candlemas, with an identical communal strategy. A specific Candlemas king or boss visited properties to assemble meal contributions, tying a ribbon to a pole for every donation. That night, the group feasted, adopted by dances led by the king waving the ribbon-adorned pole, symbolizing collective effort within the harsh winter months.
Climate Lore and Optimism
With out groundhogs, locals turned to February 2 for climate forecasts. The day’s situations supposedly predicted the remaining winter. Conventional verses from England and Scotland, nonetheless recalled in Newfoundland and Labrador into the Sixties, adopted an inverse sample. One poem from 1678 states: “If Candlemas day be truthful and vivid, Winter may have one other flight. If on Candlemas day it’s bathe and rain, Winter is gone and won’t come once more.”
This mirrors Groundhog Day logic: a sunny day with a shadow foretells prolonged winter, whereas clouds promise early spring. But a neighborhood Newfoundland and Labrador rhyme reverses this: “If Candlemas Day be vivid and effective, The worst of the winter is left behind. If Candlemas Day be tough and grum, The worst of the winter is but to come back.”
With each interpretations within the cultural repertoire, optimism prevails whatever the climate. Sunny skies recommend winter’s finish, whereas storms suggest the identical. Candlemas reinforces themes of putting up with mild, heat, and group amid winter’s challenges.
