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HISTORY OF SAN MIGUEL: CANDELARIA

Natalie Taylor

This weekend marks a festival that has become part of San Miguel tradition—Candelaria, or its English equivalent Candlemas. What exactly is celebrated, and how?


Candelaria is actually the fifty second day of Christmas here, marking the end of the season. Not satisfied with the traditional 12 days of Christmas of the English, popularized by the eponymous song written in 1780, Mexicans begin their celebration on December 12 and finish on February 2, with Candelaria. It is the final day of the Christmas celebrations, but it also marks the 40th day after the birth of Jesus when he was brought to the temple by Joseph and Mary for the first time.


Candlemas is also known as the Feast of the Purification of Mary, because according to Old Testament law a woman was impure after giving birth, and it was only after a given period of time that she would be washed and could rejoin the community. Those were the religious laws of the day, and these are the commemorations of those rules, even when many people, including those who celebrate them, may not be aware of the wherefore. It is one of the oldest feast of the church, supposedly celebrated in Jerusalem since the 4th century.


It is such an important Christian celebration that it is depicted quite frequently in religious art, and we have some examples here in San Miguel.

In the Parroquia, on one side of the altar, hangs this beautiful oil painting of Candelaria on the wall. It is a fine work of art with excellent body proportions—including those of the baby, lively colors, and good facial expressions. It is a pity that we do not have the name of the artist; it is one of the many anonymous works in our churches.


In the painting Mary kneels before the priest, having just handed him the baby. Behind her is Joseph, here depicted as a rather young man instead of the frequent depiction of him as elderly. He is holding two candles. To his left in the background is another man, most likely St. Joachim, Mary’s father. The woman whose head, with a head-covering, is seen hovering over the baby, is most likely Mary’s mother, St. Anne. A conspicuous man on the right kneels on one knee on the corner of a pedestal, and reaches high above to light a candle.

In the church of Las Monjas, there is another anonymous painting, which also appears to show the celebration of Candlemas, with Mary handing the baby over to the priest. Mary and Joseph once again appear in this painting, and to the left, in the corner there is a young woman holding something in her lap. It is difficult to ascertain exactly what it is, until you zoom in and find out that it is a cage containing two birds.


According to tradition, the mother would bring an offering of a lamb, but if she could not afford that, she would bring two pigeons or turtledoves. So that is what is in the cage. And if you return to the other painting of Candelaria, you find a young woman again holding something—two pigeons or turtledoves. Another iconographic symbol in this painting.


Observance of the feast is historically very old, going back to the 4th century CE, and as many Christian festivities, it has pagan roots. Early February has always marked the earliest signs of spring in the northern hemisphere, as well as a time when bears leave their dens to check if the weather is mild enough. Therefore, this time became associated with bears, a highly worshipped animal for many old civilizations. There are archeological findings that indicate that the bear was worshipped by Neanderthals. Indeed a cult of the bear became popular in many nations, with the building of bonfires and torchlight processions. In some ceremonies the bear would be an “honored guest,” in order not to anger the bear’s spirit, with people dressing up bears.

In order to eradicate these pagan practices, the Catholic Church instituted Candlemas which falls on February 2, but were not entirely successful. To this day, there are still annual bear festivals in the Pyrenees region, where the memory of the cult of the bear is still present.

 

In parts of Europe, people traditionally eat crepes on Candlemas, and, as they prepare their crepes, they hold a coin in their hand. This is believed to ensure wealth and happiness for a year. In the United States, Candlemas coincides with Groundhog Day. In other areas, it became the day to move cows from hay meadows so fields could be plowed and planted for the year’s harvest.


In Mexico Candlemas is celebrated with dressing up of Christ Child doll in elaborate clothes, and brought to church to be blessed. Following this, there is a family meal consisting of tamales, and atole—a thick, chocolate drink.

In San Miguel de Allende, Candlemas—Candelaria—has one additional component. It is a time when vendors fill a park, or public garden with plants and flowers and everyone can purchase them to start planting for spring. For many years, the festival of plants and flowers was held in Parque Juarez, but this year it has been moved to Parque Zeferino Gutierrez. During the several days that the selling of plants takes place, there are also entertainers in the form of music and dance. It is a lively celebration, as they all are in San Miguel de Allende. And not a bear in sight!

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