Season 3, Episode 4
Title: The Candlemas Bear
Time: 13 minutes
Locations: Blue Hill
Story: The Little Candlemas Bear
Listen:
About The Episode:
In this episode I’ve got all kinds of Candlemas lore from Newfoundland -- everything from weather predictions to bear stories and card games it’s pleasant distraction from the winter weather. (PS... I'm not old enough to have read a newspaper in 1902, no matter what I say.)
I also share the story of The Little Candlemas Bear. On Candlemas Day, Little Bear wakes to find his shadow missing. His search leads to a warm home, a wise Grandmother, and a winter secret.
Listening Options
You can listen to the episode here or on your favourite platform.
Credits
Ocean and Fog Horn, Shepardr, freesound.org, creative commons 0
Stargazer Ambient Guitar Music, Destructo20, freesound.org, creative commons 0
Sources & Further Reading
The Little Candlemas Bear, Product of Newfoundland
A Candlemas Rhyme to Bear in Mind, Product of Newfoundland
In October 1794 a shortage of sailors aboard a naval ship in St. John’s harbour set off a chain of events leading to the gallows… and a grisly post-mortem punishment.
According to one newspaper, Torbay was gripped by a ghostly disturbance in 1877. Night after night, Moses Power’s home was under attack…
In 1894, a painter from St. John’s was exhibiting her work in Paris. Margaret Campbell Macpherson built an international career — and somehow became a nearly forgotten Newfoundland story.
After years of illness, a Newfoundland nun left the island praying for a miracle. She returned convinced her prayers had been answered.
Something was killing sheep near Little St. Lawrence in 1958. Then a strange, five-foot-long animal was captured. Its skull was sent to St. John’s for identification…
Old Newfoundland newspapers have given me many things: fascinating stories, strange history—and an unreasonable fear of thunderstorms.