HUNDREDS of candles lit up a cathedral last night as the congregation celebrated Candlemas.
People filled the pews at Ripon for the service, which included a candlelit procession.
Cathedral staff lit 250 candles which were positioned in the clerestory, high up amid the beams in the ceiling while hundreds more lined the aisles and a giant cross, in the centre of the building.
Candlemas marks the 40 days after Christmas and is a tradition which dates back to 350AD, celebrating the presentation of the Infant Christ in the Temple, told in St Luke's Gospel.
The ceremony, which largely died out after the Reformation, has continued for hundreds of years at Ripon.
Last night's service included the anthem O Gladsome Light, sung by the cathedral girl choristers and lay clerks.
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