Celebrating Día de La Candelaría

With the start of the new year, community members in Downeast Maine, and Mano en Mano celebrated el Día de La Candelaría!

Día de La Candelaría is a tradition with catholic roots that takes place on February 2- 40 days after Christmas. It represents the day that the Virgin Mary presented Jesus to the church.  It is considered the true end of the holiday season, and a way to come together and celebrate in community. 

The tradition begins about a month before on January 6th on Three Kings Day.  On this day, families and friends eat a special kind of sweet bread/cake called Rosca de Reyes.  Inside the bread is a hidden figurine of Baby Jesus.  The person who finds the figurine in their slice of rosca is in charge of hosting the Candelaria party in February—and providing the tamales for everyone!

This year, community leaders and Mano staff celebrated the season at the Nuestra Voz en la Comunidad meetings.  On Three Kings Day we cut the Rosca de Reyes and at our February meeting we had a party with tamales and atole.  The kiddos of Rayitos de Sol also got involved in the celebration and made their own tamales and a piñata to celebrate the season.

This is the first of Mano en Mano’s community celebrations of 2024!  Nuestra Voz en la Comunidad partners with Mano en Mano to plan, organize, and run all community events, which include:  Mothers Day, Fathers Day and our end of the year celebration, La Posada.

If you want to support Mano en Manos community events and cultural celebrations please give here