The formal end of the holiday season was Candlemas, the Feast of the Presentation or Purification. It commemorated the day when, according to Jewish law, Mary presented herself at the Temple for ritual purification. It was 33 days after a boy infant’s circumcision, which was eight days after his birth. Traditionally, it was celebrated on February 2, or in some countries, the Sunday immediately after.
Candlemas was one of the days that served as a milepost in the medieval year. It began the farmer’s fiscal year, so it also began and ended some employment. It marked about halfway through the cold winter, so farmers could take stock of their remaining stored food and meter it out. Many servants knew that at Candlemastide, their employment would be ended or extended with a handshake.
The priest blessed candles that were brought to the church to be lit with a new fire. Christians tied this to Jesus as the Light of the World. It’s obviously another fire-related custom that might have held over from pagan times, related to the lengthening days. In France and Belgium, they make crepes to stand for the sun. Candlemas led to Groundhog Day because in Germany, they developed a superstition about clear skies. If there was enough sun for a hedghog to see his shadow, there would be more winter.
If Christmas decorations had not been taken down after Twelfth Night and Epiphany, then they were certainly taken down at Candlemas. The fun was over, and it wouldn’t be long until the Lenten fast began. In hard years, people were rationing food for survival purposes, waiting until the earliest edible plants grew again.