According to Luke’s gospel, Mary and Joseph took the baby Jesus to the Temple in Jerusalem 40 days after his birth – both to complete Mary's ritual purification, but also to present their firstborn son to the Lord, in accordance with Jewish custom. Luke explicitly says that they opted for the route prescribed for poorer people, of sacrificing turtle doves or young pigeons while the more wealthy would sacrifice a lamb.

At the Temple they met the elderly prophet Simeon, who had been promised he would see the Lord's Christ before he died. He told Mary that her son would cause “the falling and rising of many in Israel”, a reference to how people would differ in their response to Jesus.

In the Spanish speaking world this feast is more usually referred to as ‘Candelaria’, or in English, ‘Candlemas’. This name derives from the custom of blessing and distributing candles in procession before the celebration of Mass on this day.

The picture shows the Candlemas procession in Cartagena, Colombia, February 2014