Imbolc is celebrated around the 1st of February, halfway between the Winter Solstice and Spring Equinox.
Imbolc is a Pagan Sabbat; a festival that marks the beginning of Spring and the end of Winter. Imbolc is a time to celebrate the return of light and the awakening of the Earth; a time of fertility and cleansing. It is suggested that Imbolc marks the lambing season, where lambs are brought into the world and the arrival of fresh sheep milk is brought to the people of the town.
The name of Imbolc comes from the Old Irish "I mbolg", meaning "in the belly". Referring to pregnancy and a time of birth and new beginnings. Imbolc is also called Candlemas or Saint Brigid's Day.
Saint Brigid (aka Saint Brigid of Kildare/Ireland) is a patroness of Ireland. Brigid is one of the three National Saints. It is said she was an abbess who founded the important abbey of Kildare and was the daughter of an Irish clan chief. Brigid was an enslaved Christian woman, fostered in a druid's household before becoming a consecrated virgin. She is patroness of many things, including poetry, learning, healing, protection, blacksmithing, livestock, and dairy production.
- Lighting candles and fires
- Making a Brigid cross from straw
traditionally hung over doors, windows, and stables to welcome Brigid and for protection against fire, lightning, illness, and evil spirits.
- Setting intentions for the new coming year
- Writing poetry
- Seeking signs of the Spring
- Make a doll of Brigid
- Visit a Holy Well
- Ritual welcoming Saint Brigid.
- Crafting new things.
- Make Straw hats and masks
Intentions: New Beginnings, Fertility, Cleansing, Renewal, Creation
Herbs: Chamomile, Rosemary, Heather, Angelica
Crystals: Turquoise, Garnet, Moss Agate, Citrine, Green Opal, Green Aventurine
Plants: Blackthorn (Slow Berries) , Rushes, Reeds, Straw, Hay, Snowdrops, Crocuses, Dandelions, Primroses
Colours: White and Green
Incense: Jasmine, Wysteria, Rosemary, Carnation
Foods and Drinks: Sheeps Milk, Yoghurt, Cheese, Butter, Bread, Cakes, Wine
Gods and Deities: Cupid, Saint Brigid, Cerridwen, Aphrodite, Gaia