Imbolc: Festival of Brighid

Paganism is a nature-based belief and works closely with the passing of the seasons, marked by the turning of the Wheel of the Year. The year is split into eight parts - Autumn, Winter, Spring and Summer, and those periods in between - Autumn turns to Winter, Winter turns to Spring, Spring turns to Summer, and Summer turns to Autumn.

Each section of the wheel is marked with a special festival day or Sabbat. The traditional pagan year begins at Samhain (Halloween), in the way of the Celtic people, before moving on to Yule (Winter Solstice), Imbolc, Ostara (Spring Equinox), Beltane, Litha (Summer Solstice), Lughnasadh, and Mabon (Autumn Equinox).

While four of the festivals are marked at the equinoxes and solstices, the other four fall on the same days as more mainstream festivals (because the Church christianized the old pagan festivals and put their own feast days in their place):

Samhain - Halloween, or All Souls Night
Imbolc - Candlemas
Beltane - May Day
Lughnasadh - Lammas

Yule of course coincides with Christmas, while Ostara coincides roughly with Easter. Christmas and Easter both find many traditions originating in their pagan counterparts.

Imbolc is generally celebrated on 2nd February each year, although some are more intuitive with when they choose to mark the festival, opting for the day when the first spring flowers emerge from the ground, such as snowdrops here in my beloved England. In the southern hemisphere, Imbolc is celebrated on 31st July.

Imbolc is a fire festival that traces its roots back to the Celts, who celebrated the goddess Brighid (pronounced "Bree-ed") on this day. As mentioned above, the original Celtic name translates as "ewe's milk" and the name Imbolc itself translates as "in the belly of the mother" - referring to the fact that this festival marked the time when ewes would begin lactating for their forthcoming new lambs. This was a significant time for the Celtic folk as it meant the return of an important element to their diet - dairy produce.

It also signified the start of a new agricultural season. Imbolc symbolises the promise of spring - the signs that are there to remind us that, although winter will be around for a while longer, spring will be forthcoming.

Imbolc is the time when the Goddess in her Winter Crone form gives way to the Spring Maiden, who begins to touch the dead earth and return life to the belly of the Earth mother. Ancient Celtic women would honour Brighid, with the married women honouring the Crone goddess and the maidens gathering gifts to place at Brighid's shrine.

Brighid is a fire goddess whose sacred flame is still tended to this day.

There are many ways to celebrate Imbolc through ritual, either based upon modern ideals or traditions of the past.

It is tradition to light candles on the eve of February 1st to welcome Brighid into the home, and also to leave a piece of cloth or ribbon outside the front door for Brighid to bless when she passes.

Young Celtic women used to gather gifts for Brighid's shrine, while the older, married women would paint themselves with woad and go naked to the Imbolc shrine, to honour the Crone goddess. Today, you might like to create a shrine to Brighid with gifts such as her sacred foods or representations of her sacred animals and symbols (see my other lens on Brighid for more information on these), or spend some time in the quiet of nature contemplating the symbolism of the Crone.

A primary tradition of Imbolc is the great Spring Clean! Cleaning and clearing your home symbolises much more than simply cleaning your house of dirt - it signifies "out with the old, in with the new"!

Clear out unwanted energy. Let go of unhealthy beliefs or ties to people that are holding you back. Let go of what no longer serves you, so that you can welcome in new opportunity.

Spring clean yourself, by giving your body a treat such as a spa treatment or cleansing salt bath. Meditate, letting go of the past and visualising what you want to happen in the coming year.

Clear the clutter from your home and spring clean it, sweeping out the negative energy as well as the dust. Visualise it leaving your home as you bang your broom or duster outside, watching the dust floating away, taking with it all that is unwanted.

Place crystals such as amethyst and rose quartz around the home to bring positive energy, and hang crystals or windchimes in windows to encourage positive energy (or "chi") to enter your home in place of the old, "stuck" energy.

* Make a Brigid's Cross

* Make a Bride doll or Imbolc poppet, or corn dolly

* Bake a seed cake

* Make Brighid's crown

* Make a priapic wand to bless new plants

* Make candles