Called Groundhog's Day in America, February 2 is the half-way point between the Winter Solstice and the Spring Equinox. The Celtic holiday is Imbolc and the Celtic-Catholic holiday is St. Brigid's Day. It is also Candlemas, and we celebrated the day by making candles with our homeschool co-op.
With our group of friends, we rolled beeswax sheets around a wick to make candles. We cut tiny shapes out of colored beeswax to decorate plain white pillars. And a few kids even dipped wicks into melted beeswax to make tapers.
Another good thing to do on Candlemas is take all your old, burned down candle stubs, melt them and then make new candles either in small milk carton bottoms or in the snow (I've never tried the snow option, but it's supposed to be really neat). You can also make firestarters by pouring melted wax over pinecones with a little dryer lint stuffed into the spaces, or just in egg cups filled with dryer lint. We've been saving candle stubs and dryer lint for just this thing, and eventually we'll get to it.
Yesterday's candlemaking was at our friends' home. It is fun to have a special, seasonal day to make something.
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