Just when you think that winter will never relinquish its icy grip, along comes February with its rapidly lengthening days and exuberant spring flowers. Despite being a short month, it is filled with celebrations: Chinese New Year, Candlemas, Valentine’s and later the carnival season. But the one that best captures this pivotal point between the seasons is the lesser known Imbolc.
Imbolc
I had never heard of it before my lovely art teacher wished me a happy one. My curiosity peeked, I had to look it up and discovered that if there were possible to have a festival tailored to one’s passions, this was it. Imbolc is a celebration of all things natural with a little culture thrown in for good measure.
Traditionally celebrated by the Celts (Irish and Scots) it was a pagan holiday that started on sundown of Feb 1 and ended 24 hours later. This date marks the half-way point between the winter and spring equinox. From here, though winter may still demonstrate its power with late snow and bitter frosts, the world is turning towards the sun and winter’s reign is reaching its conclusion.
Image: Karen Costello-McFeat
In pre-Christian times, it celebrated the goddess Brigid ‘who was evoked in fertility rites and oversaw poetry, crafts and prophesy.’ (History.com) And she was later absorbed into the Catholic canon as St Brigid, where she continued her patronage of culture, healing and husbandry.
Modern pagans use the date as an opportunity to celebrate the newly waking natural world and culture. As the landscape becomes stippled with the yellows, whites and pinks of spring, it would be churlish not to join them in observing this annual miracle.
Image: Karen Costello-McFeat
Having admired the blooms and spears of green in my garden, I plan to spend the evening with some poetry. Crafts are always on my to-do list. With Brigid in mind, despite the single figure temperatures of today, I predict that spring will be upon us in no time at all.