Of Candles and RebirthMonday, January 31, 2005 - 12:10 PM
By Nan Hoyt
-Sunday the 30th: By midnight tonight, the waning Moon is up in the east with vivid Jupiter shining very close to it, making an outstanding pair! Look for dimmer Spica, the “spike” of wheat in Virgo the Maiden, below them. All three traverse the sky together until dawn. -Tuesday the 1st: Before dawn this morning, the Moon shines in the south with Jupiter glowing well to its right. Look between them for fainter Spica. It is closer to Jupiter than to the Moon, and a little below the imaginary line connecting them.
-Wednesday the 2nd: Happy Groundhog Day! The Moon is in its last quarter phase. We've had a wet (white) and wild winter here in our mountain hamlet this year, but don't despair, Groundhog Day is upon us! This day may seem to belong to a little furry groundhog somewhere in Maine but it actually is a part of many ancient celebrations throughout the ages. Our ancestors believed that February 2nd was a ‘cross-quarter' day marking the beginning of spring, rather than the mid-point of winter as we view it now. The ancient Druids of the British Isles celebrated the pagan holiday of Imbolc at this time, honoring the “rebirth” of the sun. Candles were used in this celebration, which was surrounded with much anticipation regarding the return of warmth and fertility to the land and the people. Interestingly enough, early Christians in Europe marked this as Candlemas Day. Often the church would replace a pagan festival with a Christian holiday, in hopes that the ‘old way' would diminish and fade-away. The clergy would bless candles and distribute them to the people during these seemingly endless days of winter. The candles were placed in the windows of each home and then if the sun came out on February 2nd, halfway between the winter solstice and the spring equinox, it meant six more weeks of wintry weather. Similarly, the groundhog legend states that if the groundhog comes out of his burrow and sees his shadow, he will quickly disappear back into his cozy home and we, too, will have six more weeks of stormy weather. Of course, the opposite may occur in both of these traditions, if it happens to be a cloudy or stormy day then spring is right around the corner! Wouldn't that be loverly!
*Sources thanks to Star Date magazine, National Audubon Society Field Guide to the Night Sky, and Space.com
Reprinted with permission from Sierra Mountain Times
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