Winter Holiday of Nurture & New Life

The long dark hours of Winter are growing shorter by the day and now is the time to start preparing for the season’s end.  Starting from sundown on February 1 and ending on the following sundown on February 2, a Gaelic holiday is celebrated for this time of year.  Imbolc (pronounced IM-bulk, IM-bolg, IM-bolk, or IM-bullug) is a “cross-quarter” festival that takes place between the Winter Solstice (Yule) and the Spring Equinox (Ostara).  It is also known as Candlemas or Brighid’s (or St. Brigid’s) Day to some people (some say that this Pagan holiday has been morphed over time into the now more popular holiday Valentine’s Day).  While it is a Gaelic holiday that is celebrated by Wiccans and neo-Pagans, so do others of various faith backgrounds.  So let’s explore and learn more about this holiday together, shall we?

What is Imbolc?

Imbolc goes by many names, including Lady Day or Oimelc, and for Christian names: Candlemas or St. Brigid’s Day.  Imbolc comes from the Old Irish, Gaelic word meaning “in the mother’s belly.”  In the mother’s body is where seeds of life are generated, which result in a rebirth.  This reflects the time of year.  Even though Winter holds a strong grasp on the trees and plants, the days are still growing longer by the day.  People knew this was the time of Imbolc when they would spot the first lambs of the season being born and wild garlic were popping up through Winter’s snow. Mother Nature is transforming and changing the season as we speak.  Winter is ending and preparations are to be made for the upcoming Spring.  Around this time, lambs were maybe slaughtered, farmers were getting their tools ready, people blessed seeds, and people prepped for the hard work that was soon to begin.  After sitting and waiting through the long Winter, it’s time to work hard and get things done.  Not only that, but Imbolc is also a traditional time for rededications and initiation rituals/ceremonies for witches.

On Imbolc, Brighid (pronounced BREEJ or BREED), the Goddess of smithcraft, fire, midwifery, healing, and poetry is honored for these skills will be helpful for the immediate future.  She is thanked for the Sun’s spending more time in the sky and people express to her their hopes for an upcoming Spring of abundance.   This time period is associated with pregnancy and fertility (it’s in the name Imbolc, after all), in which Brighid reins.  Evidence of Spring is growing.  Nature is awakening to the increase of daylight.  The spark one experienced in Midwinter is maturing.  For Imbolc, one is to start taking action towards the aspirations, dreams, and intentions you made for the new year, back in Yule and maybe even Samhain.  Now is the time to planting those seeds of ideas into fertile soil.  Let your dreams begin to grow both figuratively, symbolically, and even literally.  

The Story of Brighid

Brighid, as mentioned before, is the Goddess that encompasses notions including blacksmithing, fire (both literally and figuratively, such as in passion or sparks of imagination), fertility/midwifery, healing, and poetry.  She was the child of Dagda, who is the oldest God in the Tuatha dé Danann (or Celtic pantheon).  For Imbolc, girls would carry Brideo’gas (a small oat or straw dolls representing the Goddess) from home to home to have them blessed.  In addition, clootie wells were a traditional activity, which are offerings tied to trees that were by small springs of water.  In time, Christianity arrived in Ireland.  They changed many Pagan beliefs and traditions to fit with their own.  Brighid was no exception.  She was given a human story that started in 451 A.D. and her name was changed into St. Brigid of Kildare or St. Brigid of Ireland.  As the Christian Saint persona, she was known for healing the sick and feeding the poor.  In both pre-Christian Ireland and in later Christian Ireland, bonfires were lit in her honor. 

Symbolism

As always, there are many symbols and imagery for Pagan Holidays.  And Imbolc is no exception!  For example, a Snowdrop was Spring’s first gift from within Winter’s bleakness.  A flame represented Brighid’s title as a Goddess of the Sun, with her embodiment of the fire behind creativity, a protective fireplace/hearth, and her symbolic Brigid Cross or fire wheel.  Below is the typical chart I created that I’m sure you’ve expected by now, hahaha!  It should cover some things we’ve learned and maybe some new fun symbolism that you may find interesting.

How to Celebrate

Interested in learning how to celebrate Imbolc?  Take a look of all these different things you can do to express gratitude to Spring’s approach!  Maybe something will look like fun and you’d want to try! 

• Plant some seeds.  This is especially true if during Yule you had a goal, intention, or aspiration in mind for the new year. Take the seeds and hold them in your hands.  Concentrate on that same intention or motivation.  Visualize your dream becoming reality and taking shape in your mind.  Then plant the seeds in a small pot with fertile soil.  Take note to water your seeds properly over time so your plant can take shape.  This will be a reliable, consistent physical reminder of you to help your intentions grow into fruition.

• Go for a walk out in nature.  It can be around the neighborhood or in a park.  If you go into the woods, see if you can spot a Crocus (a specific kind of little Spring flower).  Otherwise, when you’re outside, take note of the nature surrounding you and various signs of Spring’s coming arrival.

• To honor the Sun’s rebirth and return, after sunset light a candle or turn on a light in each room of your home.

• Wear a crown of lights to symbolically welcome the Sun’s warmth.

• Bake some oatcakes!  You can go even further and leave some out along with some milk as an offering to Brighid on Imbolc Eve.

• Enjoy Imbolc foods!  Some traditional foods include Bannock (a Scottish skillet bread similar to a scone) and Colcannon (an Irish dish that incorporates greens and potatoes).  Other foods you can consume are pancakes (whose shape resembles the Sun), cheese (especially sheep cheese), and butter (if you’re super adventurous, you can churn and consume it on the same day as Imbolc).  Also, you can enjoy milk, which are connected to Brighid’s protective and healing abilities.  You can drink it or even soak yourself in it in a spiritual bath.  

• If you want a fun trip, there’s a large annual fire festival that takes place in Marsden, Ireland.

• Make a Brideo’gas (a Brighid doll) to honor the Goddess Brighid!  They are made of oat or straw and can be tied together with string or ribbon.  You can decorate them further by having them carry an acorn wand.  If you do so, on Imbolc night place them in a fire overnight.  Check on it in the morning and see if the doll’s wand left a mark in the ashes.  If you see one, then it’s a sign of good luck in the upcoming Spring.  You can carry a Brideo’gas on your person or keep it in your home as a source of protection.

• Make a Brighid Cross!  It represents the Goddess Brighid’s fire wheel.  You can make one out of rushes and straw and tie them together into shape.  You can carry it on your person or place it someplace in your home or workplace as a form of protection.

• Make an Imbolc Altar!  Add Imbolc-themed items.  This includes plants such as daffodils, snowdrops, angelica, rosemary, and cinnamon.  You can add Crystals such as Amber, Sunstone, Citrine, and Garnet.  Decorating your Altar in colors of white, red, yellow, and pink also bring the Imbolc spirit into your home.  Try to think of any items that have you think of Brigid’s fiery energy and Spring’s lively energy that is evident this time of year.

So what are your thoughts on Imbolc?  Do you celebrate this time of year?  If so, how?  Do any of these Imbolc activities seem interesting to you that you might want to try?  Please share your thoughts and experiences in the comments!  I love learning from you, my friends, and expanding my knowledge.  Thank you for your time and I wish you all a Blessed Imbolc!

“Don’t judge each day by the harvest you reap but by the seeds that you plant.” 

– Robert Louis Stevenson

• Image Captions (in order of appearance):
• Symbols of the Celtic calendar, names in Celtic of the solstices. Image courtesy of Shutterstock user robin.ph; not for commercial use.  Signed property release on file with Shutterstock, Inc.
• Wiccan altar for Imbolc sabbath, pagan holiday ritual. Brigid’s cross of straw, candles, snowdrops, toy sheep on snow, winter forest natural background. symbol of Imbolc holiday, spring equinox. Image courtesy of Shutterstock user ju_see; not for commercial use. Signed property release on file with Shutterstock, Inc.
• Woodcut style image of the Celtic heroine Brigid riding a chariot. Image courtesy of Shutterstock user Jef Thompson; not for commercial use. Signed property release on file with Shutterstock, Inc.
• Brigid’s cross, magic doll, sun-moon symbol, fir branch, berries on snow. symbol of Imbolc sabbat. ireland handmade amulet from straw. Wiccan tradition for blessed, protection. flat lay. Image courtesy of Shutterstock user ju_see; not for commercial use. Signed property release on file with Shutterstock, Inc.
• St Brigid of Kildare, patron saint of Ireland and monastic life. Artistic modern illustration. Image courtesy of Shutterstock user Thoom; not for commercial use. Signed property release on file with Shutterstock, Inc.
• Wiccan altar for Imbolc sabbat. winter-spring pagan festive ritual. Brigid’s cross, crystals, wheel of the year, snowdrops, sun and moon symbol on wooden table. Imbolc holiday, spring equinox. Image courtesy of Shutterstock user ju_see; not for commercial use. Signed property release on file with Shutterstock, Inc.

• References (in alphabetical order):
• “Imbolc.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imbolc. 
• The pagan grimoire. The Pagan Grimoire. (2021). Retrieved 2022, from https://www.pagangrimoire.com/
• Van de Car, Nikki. Practical Magic: A Beginner’s Guide to Crystals, Horoscopes, Psychics, and Spells. Running Press, 2017.