Fill the dyke,
Be it black, be it white,
But if it be white
It’s the better to like…….
I imagine these ancient lines are referring to the melting snow of a receding winter and carrying the hope of spring returning.
Candlemas Day is celebrated on 2 February and, according to tradition, that is when we can expect to see some snowdrops, known as Candlemas Bells, opening up in our gardens and woodlands. Candlemas is an ancient festival marking the midpoint of winter, half way between the shortest day, in December, and the Spring Equinox.
On a personal note I have very happy memories of days in mid-February when at about 10a.m. we would watch the sun appear for the first time over the tops of the beech trees at the far side of the field next to our garden - and we would take a couple of deck chairs out of the garage and sit with our morning coffee blinking in the sunlight and revelling in the knowledge that Spring was on its way. I’ve always had a soft spot for February; everyone is surprised that it’s here already! It’s always seemed to me to be a nice little month, tucking itself into the calendar with St Valentine’s Day on the 14th as a special occasion for hopeful young lovers, and coming to an end a day or two earlier than the other months – and even having, every four years, an extra day for us to enjoy.
In the zodiac calendar I discover that one half of February is dedicated to Aquarius and the second half to Pisces, both of which have a distinctly watery association! The birth flowers associated with February are violets, primroses and irises, and I know that our gardens will be offering them up faithfully and that, when we see them, they will lift our spirits as we greet them like beloved friends.
And Candlemas has a special place in our Christian calendar because it commemorates the journey of Joseph, Mary and their baby son to the temple so that Jesus could be presented into the arms of the priest Simeon. And Simeon recognised the child as the blessed one who would grow up to be the Saviour of the world. He gazed at the baby and prayed, ‘Lord I am Your servant and now I can die in peace.’
Pam Marchant