From November 29th to December 12th my grandparents had the tradition of gathering around the fire. Households used to set up small bonfires on the streets known as candiles. The fire was built with the aromatic wood known as ocote which permeated the air with the fragrance of the most delicate incense. In Purépecha temples, ocote was perpetually burnt at the altar to call upon ancient deities. In the Colonial period this precious wood became associated with Mary, and people lit fires in anticipation of the Feast of the Immaculate Conception (later on it was extended to the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe). My grandmother kept this tradition close to her, because the fire not only represents light in the shorter days of winter, it represents the creation of the universe. Marys conception and birth was seen as the beginning of everything. In her womanhood, Mary restores creation to the proper order and she uses her humanity to give flesh to the Word: A realization that would seem scandalous to many Christians today. My grandmother used to say that without Mary there is no Jesus; Hes the reflection of Her wisdom and care. Christianity turned into a misogynistic mess, a set of laws and regulations that are disconnected from the depth of our mystical and ethereal history. The tradition of the candiles is dying with the pressures of a legalistic church and people preoccupied with the materialistic aspects of the season. Nevertheless, even with my grandmother gone, I remember her teachings and her words who refused to let go of the divine feminine. It is time to light the fire in our hearts!
Posted on: Mon, 08 Dec 2014 04:09:30 +0000
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