Candlemas

To Americans, it's Groundhog Day. To my pagan community, it's Imholc. But I like the traditional Christian name - Candlemas.

February brings the rain, thaws the frozen fields again.

CANDLEMAS DAY

If Candlemas Day be dry and fair,
Half the winter's to come and mair.
If Candlemas Day be wet and foul,
Half o' winter's gane at Yule.

CEREMONIES FOR CANDLEMAS EVE
Robert Herrick

DOWN with the rosemary and bays,
Down with the misletoe ;
Instead of holly, now up-raise
The greener box (for show).

The holly hitherto did sway ;
Let box now domineer
Until the dancing Easter day,
Or Easter's eve appear.

Then youthful box which now hath grace
Your houses to renew ;
Grown old, surrender must his place
Unto the crisped yew.

When yew is out, then birch comes in,
And many flowers beside ;
Both of a fresh and fragrant kin
To honour Whitsuntide.

Green rushes, then, and sweetest bents,
With cooler oaken boughs,
Come in for comely ornaments
To re-adorn the house.
Thus times do shift ; each thing his turn does hold ;
New things succeed, as former things grow old.

A Song for Candlemas
Lizette Woodworth Reese

There’s never a rose upon the bush,
And never a bud on any tree;
In wood and field nor hint nor sign
Of one green thing for you or me.
Come in, come in, sweet love of mine,
And let the bitter weather be!
Coated with ice the garden wall;
The river reeds are stark and still;
The wind goes plunging to the sea,
And last week’s flakes the hollows fill.
Come in, come in, sweet love, to me,
And let the year blow as it will!

FEAST OF THE PRESENTATION
OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST
Fr. Harold Macdonald

Catering, busy ladies group
yet another pot of soup;
scalloped spuds, of course the ham
women chattering in the hall
kitchen clattering pot and pan
were You really here at all?

Didn’t see You at the door
(We’d make a place, for several more)

To the church You came, perhaps
windows sealed, airless must
silent narthex, nave and apse,
altar, credence, decked with dust;
dead flies on sills, buzzed out, death’s stare;
Did you come and no one there?
Did we leave You in the lurch,
Your holy apostolic church?

You didn’t try the parish hall?
That’s where you’d have found us all.