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Epiphany
Presentation of the Lord / Candlemas
Also called: Meeting of the Lord (Eastern), La Chandeleur (French), Lichtmess (German), February 2nd, Purification of Mary
February 2 (fixed)
CatholicEastern OrthodoxAnglicanLutheran
Candlemas on 2 February marks 40 days after Christmas, when Mary and Joseph brought baby Jesus to the Temple in Jerusalem. Churches bless candles that families keep all year for storms and emergencies.
In the UK it was once the day to pack away Christmas decorations — 'If Candlemas be fair and bright, winter has another flight.' Snowdrops are called Candlemas bells. Eden lists quiet February retreats when Christmas is over but Lent has not yet begun.
At a glance
- Type
- major feast
- Date type
- Fixed (same date every year)
- Regions
- Global
- Themes
- Life of Christ, Mary
- Liturgical colour
- White
Common questions
Presentation of the Lord is observed on February 2 (fixed). Moveable feasts shift each year; fixed feasts stay on the same calendar date.
The feast commemorating Mary and Joseph bringing the infant Jesus to the Temple in Jerusalem 40 days after his birth, fulfilling the Law of Moses (Luke 2:22–38). The name "Candlemas" derives from the blessing and procession of candles that precedes the Mass, symbolizing Christ as "a light to enlighten the Gentiles" (Simeon's canticle). The holy elder Simeon's words — "Now let your servant depart i
It is associated with Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Anglican, Lutheran. It falls in the Epiphany season of the liturgical year.
Related holidays
- Annunciation of the LordMarch 25 (fixed)Read guide
- Baptism of the LordSunday after January 6 (or January 13 if Epiphany is celebrated on Jan 6)Read guide
- Presentation of Christ in the TempleFebruary 2 (fixed)Read guide
- Nativity of St. John the BaptistJune 24 (exactly six months before Christmas; Luke 1:26 sets Gabriel's visit to Mary six months after Elizabeth's conception)Read guide