el Día de la candelaria

on February 2^nd, the feast of the presentation of the child jesus in the temple, people bring small baby dolls or statues to church to be blessed. They also bring candles to be blessed; for this reason, it is called el día de la candelaria. So candlemass is seen, not so much as the culmination and closing of the Christmas cycle, but rather as the day on which candles are blessed. These candles are lighted, for protection, on special occasions and under certain circumstances, such as storms or serious illness of a family member.