Elsewhere it may be Groundhog Day, but in Mexico Feb. 2 is Candlemass Day, the day when images of the child Jesus are wrapped and put away until next Christmas. It is said that on this day the Christ child was formally presented at the Hebrew Temple (he was, after all, a Jew). Mexicans traditionally celebrate the day by devouring tamales served by whosoever found a replica of the Child Jesus in a slice of Twelfth Night cake served at an Epiphany Supper on Jan. 6. Now attention is devoted to Mardi Gras or Carnaval, which this year starts on March 5.
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Jimm Budd
Reporting from Mexico City
Member of the Society of American Travel Writers
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