Chandeleur or Candlemas Day’s Greek and Roman origins
Candlemas, known as Chandeleur in French, commemorates the Presentation of Jesus at the Temple and takes place on February 2nd, forty days after Christmas. The word Candlemas comes from the candlelight processions held on that day, while the French Chandeleur takes its name from the word chandelle meaning candle.
Although Candlemas is not a official holiday in France, it is widely celebrated, notably with the tradition of making and eating French pancakes or crêpes on that day!
The Roman festival of Candelabra (Candelabrum Festa) celebrated light and Proserpine, Goddess of Light, who was abducted by Pluto, God of the Underworld.
Proserpine spent six months of the year, autumn and winter, with her husband as Queen of the Underworld. The remaining six months, spring and summer, she resided on Earth, assisting her mother Demeter, Goddess of Agriculture and Harvests. During Candelabra, the Romans lit candles at midnight as a sign of purification, in preparation for the Lupercalia, an important pagan festival in honour of Lupercus, God of Fertility and Flocks, which was held on February 15th.
Later, the Church of Rome replaced the Lupercalia with the celebration of Saint-Valentin or Valentine’s Day, thus shifting the focus from pagan rituals to Christian celebrations.
Celtic origin and Cult of the Bear
The Celts celebrated a similar festival, Imbolc, on February 1st, in honour of Birgit, their Goddess of Fertility and Purification. During Imbolc, men walked through the fields with torches, invoking the goddess to purify the land before sowing. In the Christian era, the Church of Rome replaced Brigit with Sainte Brigitte, whose feast day is celebrated on February 1st in the calendar of saints.
Other pagan cultures celebrated the cult of the Bear, a festival coinciding with the bears emerging from hibernation. Chandelours, or the Feast of the Bear with Candles, marked the return of light in late January or early February.
In the 5th century, the Church of Rome sought to replace these pagan festivals with Candlemas Day – Chandeleur. However, it encountered difficulties in eradicating deeply rooted customs, particularly the cult of the Bear, which included bonfires, torch and candle-lit processions, mock abductions of young girls, and costume parties.
Christian Candlemas Day – Chandeleur
Christian priests played an important role in the celebration of Chandeleur – Candlemas Day, blessing candles whose light symbolized the divine light of Christ, believed to ward off evil. These blessed candles were then taken home to serve as torches, protecting the household. In the 14th century, Candlemas Day became associated with purity and the Virgin Mary. However, for much of the Middle Ages, it continued to be called Chandelours in many parts of France, reflecting the enduring influence of ancient pagan customs and traditions alongside Christian beliefs.
Candlemas Day’s crêpes – pancakes
The tradition of making wheat crêpes on Candlemas Day – Chandeleur has been passed down for centuries. The French word crêpe comes from the Latin crispa, meaning curly. Their round shape symbolizes the sun and the return of light after the long winter months, representing the vital light needed for the first sowing of the year.
Using leftover flour to make crêpes is believed to bring good luck and ensure a fresh start, a good harvest, and prosperity for the coming year.
This tradition has given rise to many regional superstitions related to making crêpes on Candlemas Day. To attract prosperity, it was once believed that crêpes should be tossed flat in the pan. In some regions, the first crêpe was kept in the pantry throughout the season to guarantee a good harvest, as the appearance of mold was considered a bad omen. And to further imbue this tradition with symbolism, people ate their crêpes by the light of blessed candles, adding a spiritual dimension to the culinary custom of Candlemas Day.
Photos via Wikimedia Commons: Header pancakes by Nicu Buculei CC BY-SA 3.0 – Presentation of Jesus to the Temple Source Kunsthistorisches Museum Wien, Bilddatenbank Public Domain – St. Birgid public domain
