Imbolc is often celebrated on the 2nd of February, but traditionally the festival could be marked up to two weeks before or after this date, depending on local climate and on other first signs of the onset of Spring. Imbolc falls at the midpoint between the Winter Solstice and the Spring Equinox.
Ancient Origins of Imbolc?
Some theorize that the alignment of the passageways of some ancient stone monuments such as the Mound of Hostages in Tara, Ireland was designed so that the light of the rising sun would illuminate the central chamber only at Imbolc and at the Celtic Festval of Samhain, suggesting that these festivals held much significance to the ancients.
Imbolc as an Agrarian Festival
Imbolc was a harsh time for the subsistence farming cultures of Northern Europe; the frosts persisted and food was scarce. Imbolc marked the birth of new lambs and the renewed flow of milk in ewes. Indeed Imbolc may be translated as “in the belly”, referring to the pregnancy of the ewes.
This was a crucially important time of the Celtic Calendar when the life of frailer members of the community might be held in the balance. The new milk would have seemed miraculous after the habitual winter shortages. Surviving folksongs tell of an ancient battle between Winter and Summer at this time, and of the joy over the victory of the gentler season.
Imbolc in Recent Times
Imbolc survived into Christian times as the Irish Feast of St Brigid, or more widely as Candlemas. The date of the Christian Festivals vary, but always lie around the time of Imbolc. Unmarried girls and woman would decorate a corn doll representing Bridgid on the Eve of St Brigid, and lay her down to rest on a bed. Visitors to the house would have to treat her with respect, and on the feast day itself she would be paraded through the community and welcomed into the homes of married women who offered gifts of food.
Imbolc was a time of hope in a season of the harshest conditions. The winter, the arrival of which had been heralded by the festival of Samhain at the end of fall, had passed, and fairer days were to come.
Modern Paganism and Wicca continue to mark Imbolc or Candlemas as a time for new beginnings, burning lavender and white candles to mark the festival. It is a time of renewal, a time to sweep out the house and renew the household decoration and furnishings, and, above all, it is a time to celebrate the miraculous arrival of Spring.
References
- The Winter Solstice by John Matthews
- Carmina Gadelica, Volume 1 by Alexander Carmicheal
- To Ride a Silver Broomstick, by Silver Ravenwood
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Readers may also enjoy Imbolc Spells and Rituals, Celtic Festival Of Samhain along with The Magical Power of Herbs.
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