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Also called: Purification of the Blessed Virgin (GreekHypapante), Feast of the Presentation of Christ in the Temple. Observed 2 February in theLatin Rite.
According to theMosaic law a mother who had given birth to a man-child was consideredunclean for seven days; moreover she was to remain three and thirty days "in the blood of her purification"; for a maid-child the time which excluded the mother from sanctuary was even doubled. When the time (forty or eighty days) was over the mother was to "bring to thetemple a lamb for aholocaust and a young pigeon or turtle dove forsin"; if she was not able to offer a lamb, she was to take two turtle doves or two pigeons; thepriestprayed for her and so she was cleansed. (Leviticus 12:2-8)
Forty days after the birth ofChristMary complied with this precept of thelaw, she redeemed herfirst-born from thetemple (Numbers 18:15), and was purified by theprayer ofSimeon the just, in the presence of Anna theprophetess (Luke 2:22 sqq.). Nodoubt this event, the first solemn introduction ofChrist into thehouse of God, was in the earliest times celebrated in theChurch ofJerusalem. We find it attested for the first half of the fourth century by the pilgrim ofBordeaux, Egeria or Silvia. The day (14 February) wassolemnly kept by aprocession to the Constantinian basilica of the Resurrection, ahomily on Luke 2:22 sqq., and theHoly Sacrifice. But the feast then had no proper name; it was simply called the fortieth day afterEpiphany. This latter circumstance proves that inJerusalemEpiphany was then thefeast of Christ's birth.
FromJerusalem the feast of the fortieth day spread over the entireChurch and later on was kept on the 2nd of February, since within the last twenty-five years of the fourth century theRomanfeast of Christ's nativity (25 December) was introduced. In Antioch it is attested in 526 (Cedrenus); in the entireEastern Empire it was introduced by theEmperor Justinian I (542) in thanksgiving for the cessation of the great pestilence which had depopulated the city of Constantinople. In theGreek Church it was calledHypapante tou Kyriou, the meeting (occursus) of the Lord and His mother withSimeon and Anna. TheArmenians call it: "The Coming of theSon of God into theTemple" and still keep it on the 14th of February (Tondini di Quaracchi, Calendrier de la Nation Arménienne, 1906, 48); theCopts term it "presentation of the Lord in theTemple" (Nilles, Kal. man., II 571, 643). Perhaps thedecree ofJustinian gave occasion also to theRoman Church (toGregory I?) to introduce this feast, but definite information is wanting on this point. The feast appears in the Gelasianum (manuscript tradition of the seventh century) under the new title of Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Theprocession is not mentioned.Pope Sergius I (687-701) introduced aprocession for this day. The Gregorianum (tradition of the eighth century) does not speak of thisprocession, which fact proves that theprocession ofSergius was the ordinary "station", not theliturgical act of today. The feast was certainly not introduced byPope Gelasius to suppress the excesses of the Lupercalia (Migne, Missale Gothicum, 691), and it spread slowly in theWest; it is not found in the "Lectionary" of Silos (650) nor in the "Calendar" (731-741) of Sainte-Geneviève ofParis. In the East it was celebrated as a feast of the Lord; in theWest as a feast ofMary; although the "Invitatorium" (Gaude et lætare,Jerusalem, occurrens Deo tuo), theantiphons and responsories remind us of its original conception as a feast of the Lord. Theblessing of thecandles did not enter into common use before the eleventh century; it has nothing in common with theprocession of the Lupercalia. In theLatin Church this feast (Purificatio B.M.V.) is a double of the second class. In theMiddle Ages it had an octave in the larger number ofdioceses; also today thereligious orders whose special object is the veneration of theMother of God (Carmelites,Servites) and manydioceses (Loreto, the Province ofSiena, etc.) celebrate the octave.
According to the RomanMissal the celebrant afterTerce, in stole and cope of purple colour, standing at the epistle side of the altar,blesses thecandles (which must be of beeswax). Having sung or recited the five orations prescribed, he sprinkles andincenses thecandles. Then he distributes them to theclergy andlaity, whilst the choir sings the canticle ofSimeon,"Nunc dimittis". Theantiphon "Lumen ad revelationem gentium et gloriam plebis tuæ Israel" is repeated after every verse, according to themedieval custom of singing theantiphons. During theprocession which now follows, and at which all the partakers carry lightedcandles in their hands, the choir sings theantiphon "Adorna thalamum tuum, Sion", composed bySt. John of Damascus, one of the few pieces which, text and music, have been borrowed by theRoman Church from theGreeks. The otherantiphons are ofRoman origin. The solemnprocession represents the entry ofChrist, who is the Light of the World, into theTemple of Jerusalem. It forms an essential part of theliturgical services of the day, and must be held in everyparochial church where the requiredministers can be had. Theprocession is always kept on 2 February even when the office and Mass of the feast is transferred to 3 February. Before the reform of theLatin liturgy bySt. Pius V (1568), in the churches north and west of the Alps thisceremony was more solemn. After the fifth oration a preface was sung. The "Adorna" was preceded by theantiphon "Ave Maria". While now theprocession is held inside the church, during theMiddle Ages theclergy left the church and visited the cemetery surrounding it. Upon the return of theprocession apriest, carrying an image of the Holy Child, met it at the door and entered the church with theclergy, who sang the canticle of Zachary,"Benedictus Dominus Deus Israel". At the conclusion, entering the sanctuary, the choir sang theresponsory, "Gaude Maria Virgo" or the prose, "Inviolata" or some otherantiphon inhonour of theBlessed Virgin.
APA citation.Holweck, F.(1908).Candlemas. InThe Catholic Encyclopedia.New York: Robert Appleton Company.http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/03245b.htm
MLA citation.Holweck, Frederick."Candlemas."The Catholic Encyclopedia.Vol. 3.New York: Robert Appleton Company,1908.<http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/03245b.htm>.
Transcription.This article was transcribed for New Advent by Marcia L. Bellafiore.
Ecclesiastical approbation.Nihil Obstat. November 1, 1908. Remy Lafort, S.T.D., Censor.Imprimatur. +John Cardinal Farley, Archbishop of New York.
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