In pre-Christian times the Celtic peoples' year started with this coming of the darkness in the festival of Samhain on the last day of October. They celebrated with fires, and candles lit to remember the dead,( and treats to placate them ,should the come knocking on the door !) and our turnip lanterns, bonfires and candle lit All Souls services all echo these ancient traditions.
This year the Hindu festival of Divali, which like Easter is calculated by lunar calendar and so moves, fell at the end of October with the climactic 4th day, the "New Year" coinciding with Halloween on the 31st. The story of the return from exile by Rama and Sita, as told in the Ramayana, celebrates the triumph of good over evil and is marked with fireworks and by the lighting of hundreds of small oil lamps both in and outside homes.
As we move through December the blurred pagan, current faith or secular reasons for "winter lights" all merge: the Christmas tree and yuletide painted candles, the Advent wreathes, and the city lights all lift our spirits.
The Jewish festival of Hanukkah, this year, coincides with midwinter, starting at dusk on the 21st December. The word means dedication in Hebrew, and the festival celebrates the rededication of the temple in Jerusalem in 165 BCE. The Greek king of the Syrian Empire, Antiochus Epiphanes , had tried to force the Jews to worship a statue of him and after many years of revolt, Judah Maccabee recaptured the Temple and destroyed his image. As part of the rededication the sacred candelabra, The Menorah needed to be lit, but only one small flask of sanctified oil could be found, but as Talmudic legend recalls it miraculously lasted the 8 days it took to replenish stocks. Each year, in homes round the world, the Hanukkah candles are lit, with appropriate blessings.
"Blessed are you, Lord our God, King of the universe,
Who has kept us alive, and preserved us,
and enabled us to reach this season"
The pagan Celtic festival of Imbolc, marked on the 2nd February, a quarter of the year after Samhain, celebrated the return of the light, the birth of new lambs and was the feast day of Brigid, the goddess of fire, fertility and healing,( though she herself was deemed to remain ever virgin).
The Christian festival of Candlemas, set 40 days after Jesus birth, falls on the same day. Luke's Gospel tells how his parents, as the time for Mary's purification was due, brought him to the temple, and Simeon recognizing him as The Messiah calls him a " light to lighten the gentiles".
All candles have a finite existence, and none of us last for ever; as we light our candles throughout this winter season, for whatever reason, sacred or secular, let us enjoy them and perhaps think of them as a reflection of the human spirit, capable of shedding light in the darkness.
