The candlestick, a traditional celebration around pancakes, is imminent. Find all the info to properly prepare for this very appreciated event of young and old gourmet in 2025!
This Sunday, February 2 will be celebrated the Candlemas. Do you know what this candlestick party corresponds to? In the Christian tradition, it marks the presentation of Jesus to the temple. But his name, candlestick, comes from further away. It refers to the name “Candela” in Latin and refers to the return of light. Indeed, the pancakes, if they are mainly good, represent the sun and the longer days that are announcing.
For gourmets, it is above all an opportunity to meet and cook delicious pancakes. You can make them sweet or savory, whatever! If you want to celebrate the candlestick as it should be, here are all the info as well as some tips to simply make your pancakes.
What is the origin of the candlestick?
Appearing in the 5th century, the candlestick was not at all specific to Brittany. The pope in office at the time, Gélase, wanted to reward with pancakes the pilgrims who came to Rome to celebrate the presentation of Jesus to the temple. The choice of pancakes is not trivial. They represent, by their round shape, the sun and abundance. At that time, the pancakes were prepared with flour that dates from last year. At the beginning of the 21st century, most French people perpetuated this gourmet rite, with regional features that have asserted themselves in recent decades: Calvados and Apples in Normandy, beer in the dough in Alsace and in the North, Farine of wheat in Brittany, etc. Depending on the tastes, the accompaniment varies: chocolate, salted butter, honey, caramel, jam, brown cream, lemon, fruit …
Tradition, forgotten today, goes even further. She wants us to make pancakes jump while holding the pan with her right hand and a golden piece in the other hand. In France, tradition has it that this play is a louis d’or. A sign of prosperity for the coming year. This tradition is not only followed in France. It is also respected in Belgium, French -speaking Switzerland and Luxembourg. The candlestick is also celebrated in Mexico, but in another form than that of Europe.
What is the meaning of the candlestick?
For Christians, February 2 corresponds to a biblical episode: the Presentation of Jesus at the temple. It is told by the evangelist Luke: “When the day fixed by the law of Moses arrived for purification, the parents of Jesus carried him in Jerusalem to present him to the Lord according to what is written in the law: very first born of male sex will be devoted to the Lord “. Traditionally, the Jewish rite asked the parents of a newborn to participate in a mother purification ceremony, forty days after childbirth. In the Bible, Marie and Joseph appear at the temple in Jerusalem (which was later destroyed by Rome) at this precise moment and proceed to the sacrifice of two doves, according to the precepts revealed by Moses.
An old wise man named Syméon would have entered the temple and would have recognized the “divine nature” of the newborn by taking it in his arms. Man would have seen in the child the “light” which would shed light on the pagans. The scene of the presentation at the temple served as a subject for many painters: Frat Bartolomeo, Hans Holbein, Philippe de Champaigne, Simon Vouet … A hymn is also born, or song by Syméon, composed from the words that would then have held the prophet: “Now, Lord, you can let me go in peace, you can let me rest … because my eyes have seen the salvation that you prepare in the face of the peoples.” C ‘ is this sacred fact that will give Christians the meaning of Candlemas, where the light will be celebrated on earth. For Christians, this clarity recalls the “light” provided by Christ and is a symbol of the renewal of faith but also of the purity of the Virgin Mary.
What is the date of the candlestick in 2025?
In 2025, the Candlemas fell on a Sunday, February 2. Christianity appropriated the date of February 2, at least from the 4th century, before the event was formalized by Pope Gelase. That day, Christians celebrate the presentation of Christ at the temple, 40 days after Christmas, the day of his appearance in the world. During the presentation of the son of Mary, Syméon would have recognized the “divine nature” of Jesus. It is this sacred fact that will give Christians the meaning of Candlemas, where the light brought to earth will be celebrated. The believers will then develop the use of lighting candles. Hence the name of the candlestick, which comes from the Latin “festa candelarum”, “candle festival“.