Gŵyl Fair y Canhwyllau
(English: "Mary's Festival of the Candles") is a Welsh name of Candlemas, celebrated on 2 February. It was derived from the pre-Reformation ceremony of blessing the candles and distributing them to be carried in a procession. However, just as this Christian ceremony drew on pagan festivals connected with the coming of the Spring, some of the old practices that carried on in parts of Wales until the 20th century suggest older rituals. Customs As with most of the festivals of the year, rites of divination were carried out at Candlemas. In one recorded instance, it was customary for people to light two candles, and place them on a table or high bench. Then each member of the family in turn would sit down on a chair between the candles and take a drink out of a horn goblet or beaker. Afterward, they would throw the vessel over their head and if it fell in an upright position, the person who threw it would live to reach very old age; if it fell bottom-up, the person would die early. That 'drink', usually beer, was associated with Candlemas. The custom of wassailing involved wishing for fertile crops and an increase of livestock