LA CANDELORA - THE FEAST OF THE TORCHES
written by Sergio Caggìa with Paul Gwynne for © Nerone the Insider's Guide to Rome

 

A festival of candles and light has taken place in early February since ancient times, when women and girls used to walk in torchlit procession in celebration of Ceres, goddess of the harvest, and Proserpina. This, perhaps, is the origin of the feast of the Candelora. From the 7th century onwards, Roman Christians used to meet at dawn on the 2nd of February in the Foro Romano, lighting their way with torches and illuminating the evocative ruins all around. They then proceeded to the Pope who was waiting for them inside the quondam Church of St Adriano, just inside the Forum. The Pope, dressed only in a simple black tunic, then led the procession to the Church of S. Maria Maggiore where, taking off his sandals, he walked bearfoot the long nave like a humble pilgrim. This act, according to old jewish rite, was to 'purify' Mary from the 'contamination of maternity'.    The old ritual of the blessing of the torches (stemming from the middle of the 16th century) is still continued thanks to the good will of the priests belonging to the Arciconfraternita di S. Maria dell'Orto, who also bless the River Tiber once a year. The church of S. Maria dell'Orto is on Via Anicia, in Trastevere. Mary, according to the legend, appeared under the entrance arch to the 'vegetable garden' (Orto) that was on that site. There, in 1492, a chapel was built and later in 1495 the church was begun. Because of the legend and of its proximity to the river which once lapped it, S. Maria dell'Orto is the protector of greengrocers, market gardeners and all those people whose activities were bound to the river, who navigated the river, who worked at the Porto di Ripa grande (in front of the Complesso Monumentale di San Michele). A fountain with a marble helm recalls past times and the activities of the Port. It can be found along the wall of San Michele on the Lungotevere side. In the feast of the Candelora workers received a candle, which had been blessed, to be kept and lit in times of trouble. It's still possible to see this rite at sunset on the Sunday nearest to Candelora's day, which this year should be on the 5th of February. The priests, dressed in traditional clothes, walk in a procession holding lighted candles from the church of S. Maria dell'Orto to S. Maria del Buon Viaggio where there are people representing the trades linked with the river (today isolated from the city by the white flood walls built at the end of the last). These trades include: sailors of boats that still ply the Tiber; representatives of the port authorities from Fiumicino; and members of the numerous rowing clubs which border the Tiber and who bring their oars for the occasion. The ceremony ends with the blessing of Father Tiber, the loving but occasionaly strict parent of Rome.    THE CANDELORA'S DAY OF 1703  February 1703 started under a bad star. A big flood inaugurated the month and a few days later there was the earthquake...on the feast of the Candelora. Two arches of the Colosseum came down and one of two priests who were, by chance, in the ball on the top of the St Peter's cupola died of a heart attack. Hard times for Rome! Some thought that the end of the city was nearIndeed some joker sceamed that 'the end is nigh' and thus the rumor started around. The evening of the 2nd of February 1703 found the entire population of Rome in the streets waiting for the announcement of the end of Rome by a third dramatic catastrophe...that did not in fact happen! The Pope tried to descover the authors of the joke (probably the same people who profited from the chaos to rob houses), but he couldnt find those responsible. So, to avoid a bad impression, the Church gave out that God's Will was merely a warning to the libertine population of Rome, but had now deferred the Day of Judgement for the time being.