Today's Holy-day Art (CANDLEMAS) | St. Thomas Church 5th Ave, NYC

ALPHA OMEGA ARTS
By Tahlib

Saint Thomas Church Fifth Avenue window

Today is the holy-day of Candlemas around the world, the Presentation of the Christ at the Temple. I will celebrate at 5:30 pm inside one of my favorite sacred places in NYC, Saint Thomas Church Fifth Avenue at 5th Ave and 53rd Street. I love the French High Gothic style architecture but it is also the first place I experienced an Evensong Choral, and it draws me back several times a year for these choral services. Candlemas occurs every year on the 40th day of Christmas or February 2nd, and for many including my own family, it is the day we take down our Nativity sets. The term "Candlemas" (or Candle Mass) refers to the practice whereby a priest on February 2nd blesses beeswax candles for use throughout the year, some of which are distributed to believers for use in our homes. The only difficult part is remembeing the spelling ("L" before "E"), "Candlemas" vs "Candelmas" which sounds more normal! It's a good day in the city today.