Regeneration

The festival of Candlemas got its name from the Latin “Festa Candelarum” meaning the “Festival of  candles”. The Celts used to celebrate Imbolc on February 1st.  This rite, in honor of the goddess Brigit, celebrated purification and fertility after the winter. The peasants would carry torches, walking through the fields in procession, praying the goddess to purify the earth before sowing. The pancakes we make at Candlemas, with their round shape and their golden color,  allude to the Sun, finally back after the winter night, a time of year when the days get…