Candlemas, also known as the Feast of the Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary and Feast of the Presentation of our Lord Jesus, is a holiday commemorating the presentation of Jesus at the Temple.
It occurs on February 2, which is traditionally the 40th day of the Christmas-Epiphany season.
While it is customary for Christians in some countries to remove their Christmas decorations on Twelfth Night (Epiphany Eve), those in other Christian countries historically remove them on Candlemas.
On Candlemas, many Christians (especially Anglicans, Methodists, Lutherans and Roman Catholics) also bring their candles to their local church, where they are blessed and then used for the rest of the year.
The Feast of the Presentation is one of the oldest feasts of the Christian church, celebrated since the 4th century AD in Jerusalem.
