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Anonymous
Guest
February 2 — Groundhog Day/Candlemas
On February 2, some people think only of those critters that look for their shadows: Punxsutawney Phil in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, and Wiarton Willie in Wiarton, Ontario. In fact, there is a bit more to the day than that.
February 2 is also Candlemas Day. In the Christian tradition, it is the day that a year’s supply of candles is blessed.
February 2 is 40 days after Christmas and is known as the Feast of the Purification among Christians. "Februa" was the month for cleansing, when Yule greens were removed from homes and churches, and old brush and debris were burned to prepare the fields for the next sowing. February 2 is exactly halfway between the winter solstice and the spring equinox. Oh, about those groundhogs: If they see their shadows, expect six more weeks of winter.
If Candlemas [February 2] be mild and gay,
Go saddle your horses and buy them hay;
But if Candlemas be stormy and black,
It carries the winter away on its back.