The Christian Year- Candlemas

The Parish Church of St James
St. James's Road, Hampton Hill, TW12 1DQ (Parish Office 020 8941 6003)

WORSHIP/SERVICES
Section Contents: Services \| Christian Year and other Special Days \| Rites of Passage \| Christian Calendar \| Worship \| Worship/Services Through the Years

The Christian Year - Candlemas

The Presentation of Christ in the Temple is called Candlemas. This event is remembered in the Christian year on February 2nd or the Sunday closest to this date. It is found in the Bible in Luke 2.22-40.

A long, long time ago, Christians finished the Christmas season on Candlemas. This is exactly 40 days after Christmas Day itself.

In New Testament times, 40 days old was an important age for a baby boy. It was when he made his first ‘public appearance’ according to the Jewish law at that time. According to St Luke's gospel, Mary and Joseph took the baby Jesus to the Temple in Jerusalem forty days after his birth. He was acclaimed as a light to the nations and the glory of Israel.

The Baptistry windows behind the font depict the scene of Jesus being presented in the Temple. The centre window has the infant Jesus being carried by his mother, Mary. The left window has Simeon, a devout old man who acclaims Jesus as light and glory. The right hand window has a similarly devout person, Anna, who likewise greets Jesus.

In the north aisle is a window depicting the Blessed Virgin Mary as the 'Mater Dolorosa' or 'Mother of Sorrows.' When Jesus was presented in the Temple, Simeon said to Mary 'A sword shall pierce your own soul, too.' This was a pointer towards Jesus's crucifixion. Mary's pose and her dark clothing points towards her mourning her son.


Simeon	Mary and Jesus	Anna	Mary

At the same time, Mary, as a new mother, was purified (made clean). This goes back to a Jewish tradition that women were considered unclean after the birth of a child and were not permitted to enter the Temple to worship. This happened either 40 days after the birth of a son or 60 days after the birth of a daughter. At the end of the 40 or 60 days, the mother was brought to the Temple or synagogue and ritually purified.

Now she could go to religious services again and generally go out in public. So we have the Festival of the Presentation of Christ in the Temple, which also celebrates the ritual Purification of the Virgin Mary.

Jesus is described in the New Testament as the Light of the World. Early Christians developed the tradition of lighting many candles in celebration of this day and this custom is still followed today by many congregations.

The Church also fell into the custom of blessing the year’s supply of candles for the church on this day - hence the name Candlemas for this point in the Christian Calendar.

Further Information
	Contact the Parish Office 020 8941 6003 or the The Vicar 020 8979 2069
	Associated pages on this website: Through the Years: Spire Leader (2004 February)
	Links to other websites: Candlemas (BBC)

Home | The Parish Church of St James - Hampton Hill | Site Map