“If Candlemas be dull and cool
Half the winter was bye at Yule
If Candlemas be fine and fair
Half the winter’s to come – and mair”
Scots wisdom – Anonymous
Today is Candlemas: February 2nd in the ancient Celtic calendar signified the half – way point, a cross-quarter day, between midwinter and spring. It’s pretty amazing we’ve lasted thus far: three storms and more threatening; it’s already six weeks since solstice and in another six we’ll have reached the vernal equinox. Looking at Scotland’s current snowy landscape (or, more immediate, trudging through it), that calendar fact seems hard to believe.
Old countrymen before the agricultural revolution – farmers and field hands – kept an inner calendar, depending on the direction of the wind, hours of daylight and signs from birds and wild animals for their information.
We seem to have lost the knack.
One might blame it on global…
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Siderealview's Blog 
February 2, 2012 at 7:01 pm
… and a time here in France with “La Chandeleur” a day to stuff yourself with crêpes!
Interestingly, I just wikied it to find out it is a christian day of “the presentation of Christ to the temple”. Ah thoses thiefs!!! Wonder if Jesus ate crêpes 🙂
Love to the Bird!
L
February 3, 2012 at 12:14 am
Quand la Chandeleur est claire, l’hiver est pas derrière; Chandeleur couverte, quarante jours de perte
seems to be the EXACT origin of the American Groundhog (there they don’t say forty days, they say he goes back into his hole for six weeks (42 days).
What is riveting to me is the pancake connection… Brits do their Shrove Tuesday 3 wks from now (this year) which is ALWAYS 40 days before Palm Sunday, in turn one week before Pasche/pasque. Shrove was often rationalized in Brit catholicism as the ‘feast’ before the ‘fast’ (Ash Weds & Lent follow immediately); but when seen in light of the pagan seasons, if you were a Groundhog (Celtic serpent, Pictish dragon, Irish snake) you would definitely want to stock up on some crêpes before you went back into hibernation for another 40 days of winter!
Thanks for your visit – always great to hear from you — hope all going well with you both and your critters x
February 3, 2012 at 8:49 am
Hi Marian,
It’s all about degrees (excluding the imperfection of our calander year, which the Egyptians took care of quite gracefully with Osiris/Pharoah). 40 X 9 periods = 360, with 9 being completion.
The 40 is also accounted for in Kaballah. 10 sephira (spheres) on the Tree of Life. 4 worlds each described by a complete Tree, one stacked upon the other = 40 spheira to experience before “godhead” can be witnessed.
40 plus 9 (kinda clumsy on the Christians’ part) equals 49, or 7 X 7, inferring the jubilee, but that’s okay because numbers are extremely flexible as well as specific, not caring if they are added, divided, multiplied, etc. Talk about unconditional love and non-discriminating!
My best to you, old friend!
José 😉