feast of the church held on the second day of February, in honour of the purification of the Virgin Mary. It is borrowed from the practice of the ancient Christians, who on that day used abundance of lights both in their churches and processions, in memory, as is supposed, of our Saviour's being, on that day, declared by Simeon, "to be a light to lighten the Gentiles." In imitation of this custom, the Roman catholics, on this day, consecrate all the tapers and candles which they use in their churches during the whole year. At Rome, the pope performs that ceremony himself, and distributes wax-candles to the cardinals and others, who carry them in procession through the great hall of the pope's palace. This ceremony was prohibited in England, by an order of council in 1548.