February 2 (our modern Groundhog day) is associated with a number of holydays and holidays in Medieval tradition. Called Candlemas, Feast of the Purification, St. Blaise's Day, St. Bridget's Day, and Imbolc or Oimelc, it was celebrated with candles and blessings. February 2 is one of the "quarter days" (to the Celts) or "cross-quarter days" (to mainland Europeans), marking the midpoint between Winter Solstice and Spring Equinox.
To medieval Christian people, February 2 was the Feast of the Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary. This Catholic holyday celebrated the 'purification' of Mary after the birth of Jesus. Jewish and, as a result, medieval Church law specified that a woman was 'unclean' for 40 days after the birth of a son (more than that after the birth of a daughter!); February 2 falls 40 days after Christmas. This was a feast that medieval women could relate to; they were also required by Church law to present themselves for purification (called 'churching') after the birth of a child.
Most of the customs of this festival, however, were based on other holydays. February 2 was also the Christian feast day of St. Blaise, patron saint of throat ailments, and so the ritual called the 'Blessing of Throats' was performed. This involved a special blessing of each parishioner's throat by the priest, while attendants held candles crossed beneath the recipient's chin. With all the colds and sniffles of winter, this was a good time to have one's throat protected by a saint. (Note: this blessing is still performed on occasion-- a particularly desperate choir director had it done on our choir when I was Catholic!)
Candles were also associated with February 2 as the Feast of St. Bridget, or Bride's Day, a Christian survival of the Celtic festival Imbolc. The saint herself is now generally held to be the goddess Brighid (Brigid, or Bride) in Christian guise, goddess of smiths, poets, and the hearth. To many medieval Christians, however, she was Bridget, 'foster mother' of Christ, or Mary's midwife. At Kildare in Ireland, both pagan priestesses and later Christian nuns kept an eternal flame burning in her name.
Imbolc or Oimelc was also the festival of the lactating ewes (as the beginning of lambing season), and, in some parts of Britain, the first day of ploughing.
In celebration of Bridget/Brighid, and to help bring back the warmth of the sun, the Celts held torchlight processions and other fire observances. Their Catholic descendants burned as many candles as possible in veneration of Mary, giving the day another name, Candlemas. Candles from Candlemas were considered lucky or especially blessed by many people. Poles saved gromnica, candles blessed on St. Blaise's day, and burned them as protection against thunder and evil magic.
Candlemas Eve (like the eves of the other quarter-days, Mayday, Lammas, and All Hallows) was sometimes considered to be a witches festival-- for good reason, as the Celtic religion originally held Imbolc on February 1. Last year's blessed candles might be burned to protect from Witchcraft and most people superstitiously stayed indoors on the night of February 1.
Our modern superstitions of Groundhog Day also had their counterpart. The weather on February 2, or the behavior of bears or other dormant animals, was used to predict the next six weeks of weather. Bad, dark or icy weather would indicate a shorter winter; good weather, a longer winter. (I guess everyone likes to doomsay!)
So, when you light a light or a candle on February 2, take a minute and think of all those who celebrated Candlemas, hoping to remind them that the spring would be coming soon!