The Presentation of Jesus at the
Temple, which falls on 2 February, celebrates an early episode in the life of
Jesus. In the Eastern Orthodox Church and some Eastern Catholic Churches, it is
one of the twelve Great Feasts, and is sometimes called Hypapante (lit.,
'Meeting' in Greek). Other traditional names include Candlemas, the Feast of
the Purification of the Virgin, and the Meeting of the Lord. In the Roman
Catholic Church the "Feast of the Presentation of the Lord" is a
Feast Day, the major feast between the Feast of the Conversion of St. Paul the
Apostle on 25 January and the Feast of the Chair of St. Peter the Apostle on 22
February. In some Western liturgical churches, Vespers (or Compline) on the
Feast of the Presentation marks the end of the Epiphany season. In the Church
of England, the Presentation of Christ in the Temple is a Principal Feast
celebrated either on 2 February or on the Sunday between 28 January and 3
February. In the Latin Rite of the Roman Catholic Church, the Presentation of
Jesus at the Temple is the fourth Joyful Mystery of the Rosary. It was also
reflected in the former practice of the churching of new mothers, forty days
after the birth of a child ■
