Hundreds packed Ripon Cathedral this week for the historic service and procession for Candlemas, which took place on Tuesday 2nd February, forty days after Christmas
Ahead of the service, one of the most spectacular in the Cathedral’s calendar, five thousand candles had been lit around the ancient building by the team of vergers. Adding to that was the procession of hundreds of candles carried through the Cathedral by a congregation which included civic leaders from across the region.
The Candlemas service celebrates the Presentation of the Infant Christ in the Temple, and traditionally marks the end of the Christmas season.
At Ripon Cathedral it has been celebrated for hundreds of years. A visitor to the Cathedral in 1790 declared that the whole building was “one continued blaze of light all afternoon”.
Dean of Ripon, the Very Revd John Dobson said “Here at Ripon Cathedral the Candlemas Sung Eucharist 
has long been established as one of the most spectacular services of the year. The light from five thousand candles, the glorious music, and several hundred people gathering from across the region all combine, with the grace of God, to make t
his a great occasion of celebration and spiritual encounter.”