The following dates are important in February:
Candlemas, the purification of Mary, the days are getting longer, the Christmas period comes to an end, on the 40th day after Christmas Mary shows her Child to the outside world for the first time, her Son is dedicated to God in the temple, and Mary lets the light into the world. This day commemorates the “Presentation of the Lord in the Temple” and the purification offering that Mary had to make 40 days after the birth of Jesus. This is done according to Jewish law. In Latin, the purification of Mary is called “Purificatio Mariae”. Mary's purification is due to the rule that a woman is considered unclean for 40 days after the birth of a son. The firstborn son was seen as the property of God and had to be redeemed by an offering.
The feast of Candlemas is accompanied by a procession of light for Mary and the blessing of candles in the church. This explains the name “Candlemas.” It is the last feast day connected to Christmas. In Eastern churches, the feast is celebrated 13 days later, on 15 February.
In the German town of Heroldsbach, Mary tells the visionaries that She answers every prayer of those who believe in Her (1950).
Our Lady of Lourdes. Bernadette Soubirous sees for the first time “a Lady dressed in white” in the Grotto of Massabielle in Lourdes. This Lady wears a white dress, a white headscarf, a blue sash around her waist, and a yellow rose on each foot. The Lady shows Bernadette how to make the sign of the cross, and the girl recites the rosary with the Lady (1858).
