Candlemas Traditions in Brescia: Rites, Candles, and Local Stories
February in ancient Rome was the month of purifications from what had been done negatively. These rites were performed using the “februa,” that is, “means of purification”: woolen cloths sprinkled with the blood of sacrificial victims; toasted spelt bread with salt held in the hand by the lituor during the purification of the house; and sprigs from a pure tree, which the priests would use to crown their heads.
Due to a calendar coincidence (probably intended to Christianize the pagan festival dedicated to the goddess Juno celebrated on February 1st), the Church set the feast of the Presentation of Jesus at the temple on February 2nd, which later became known as the Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
Rites and Traditions of Candlemas
The rituals of Candlemas are particularly felt in many towns in the Brescia area, including Borgo Poncarale, Bovegno, Braone, Concesio, Coniolo di Orzinuovi, Montichiari, and Vobarno.
In Borgo Poncarale and Braone in Val Camonica, the parish churches are dedicated to the Purification of the Madonna, and the occasion is celebrated with solemn rites.
In Bovegno, the tradition persists of going to church to collect a blessed candle to be lit during thunderstorms.
In Concesio, the procession (which had been discontinued for some time) used to wind through the town’s streets. Still, the ceremony of blessing the candles, which were then distributed to the faithful, remains active.
Until recently, popular piety attributed protective virtues to these candles against calamities and storms.
In Coniolo di Orzinuovi, candles are blessed and then hung in the house, usually in the kitchen above the calendar. A witness recounts how, thanks to a blessed candle, the body of a drowned girl was found in a creek.
The candle placed on a wooden plate was left floating on the water, and at a certain point, it began to rotate. That was where the body of the drowned girl was found.
In Marcheno, during the feast of Madonna dela Sariola (Madonna of the Candle), it was customary to bless white candles characterized by a red or blue ankle, which would then be kept in the house as protection against the demon, lightning, and diseases.
In Vobamo, February 2nd was an important day for predicting whether good weather would arrive, as the proverb recalls: “A la Madona de la sergiola, de l’inverno som fora / ma se ‘l piof o tira vent ne l’inverno som a mò dent” (On Madonna of the Candle, winter is gone / but if the Piof or gallery wind blows, winter remains).