The ancient feast of Imbolc, Oimelc, Brigantia, or in Christian observance Candlemas, takes place on February 2nd, at a time when much of the Earth slumbers beneath a deep blanket of snow, when icy winds blow across the countryside and northern temperatures hover in the sub-zero ranges. Strange to relate, this day, deep in winter, celebrates the stirring of green things deep within the earth, the burgeoning of new life and the beginning of Spring. Yule has come and gone, and the days are beginning to grow longer again. It is very cold and snowy, but the Sun seems brighter and it feels a little warmer - sunrise occurs a moment or two earlier each day, and sunset occurs a little later.The early name for this day was Imbolc, which means "in the belly of the mother" in the Celtic language. For followers of the Old Way, this is the time at which the Mother steps out of the raiment of the Crone and becomes again the radiant Maiden. Ancient Celts called this day "Brigid's Day" and consecrated it to Brigid, as the goddess was worshipped in Ireland. Brigid is a goddess of fire, and a deity devoted to the crafts of smithy, poetry and the healing arts, particularly midwifery. In recognition of Her association with fire, a perpetual flame was kept burning in Her honour by the priests at Her shrine in Kildare, Ireland. As Bride, the goddess confers a special blessing on women who are about to marry, and women who are about to marry are still known today as brides.
February is also the month of the goat footed woodland god Pan or Faunus, and it is the time of his own festival, the Lupercalia.
In an effort to rewrite this ancient feast as a Christian holiday and erase its pagan significance, the Christian church appropriated Brigid as a Christian saint, retaining her associations with the crafts of smithing, poetry, and healing. Since that time there has been some confusion between Brigid as an aspect of the great Mother and Brigid as Christian saint. The Church blithely explain away the matter, describing Brigid as a Christian nun, mystic and holy missionary who was sent to Ireland in ancient times, where the miracles she wrought led the people of Ireland to believe (mistakenly) that she was indeed a goddess.
Christianity celebrate this day as Candlemas or as the Feast of the Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary, that day six weeks after the birth of the infant Christ, when Mary attended at the temple to be cleansed and purified in accordance with the doctrine that women were impure for six weeks after giving birth and must undergo a ritual of purification before they could return to their ordinary lives and their responsibilities. February 2nd is also the special day of chandlers and the day on which liturgical candles are blessed for the coming year. On the day after Candlemas, St. Blaise's Day, the newly consecrated candles are used to bless the throats of the faithful and preserve them from throat ailments in the following year.
In North America February 2 is considered a day of weather divination and is popularly known as "Groundhog Day". If a ground hog emerges from his burrow on that day and sees his shadow, there will be another six weeks of winter weather (until Lady Day). If the groundhog does not see his shadow, an early verdant spring will follow swiftly.
Like the other observances on the Wheel of the Year, Imbolc may be celebrated on its other date, that day on which the sun reaches 15 degrees Aquarius; this day is known as "Candlemas Old Style".
This is a time of reflection, renewal and cleansing for followers of the Craft. In accordance with Brigid's significance as a goddess of fire, Her feast is marked by candlelight and firelight, by the kindling of sacred fires which represent new beginnings, the purifying flames of healing, the fires of the blacksmith's forge and the fires of creative inspiration. On this day there are songs and processions, and fires are lit to shine forth as beacons and guide the Lady on Her path homeward. It is a tradition to place lighted candles in windows at sundown on February 1st and to keep them burning until sunrise. Homes are cleaned from top to bottom, hearth fires are extinguished and kindled anew, and a new besom (broom) is placed by the front door to symbolize the cleansing of old energies from the home and the arrival of the new. This is also the day on which sacred candles are made and consecrated for ritual use in the following year. In some corners of Europe there is a ceremony called "charming the plough", in which a shovel or spade is blessed with oil or wine, then used to dig a hole in the earth and bury an offering to the Great Mother. A wealth of other Imbolc traditions exist such as the plaiting or weaving of corn dolls and the making of "Brigid's crosses" from straw or wheat which are then hung within the home for protection.
At Imbolc we celebrate the return of the Maiden, the end of winter and the approach of springtime. At this time we should think of the ordeals of Psyche and Persephone, of their journeys into the underworld, the efforts of their loved ones to rescue them and their triumphant return into the light from the darkness below. On February 14th which is St. Valentine's Day, we should remember, that above all, this day is sacred to Juno, the Queen of Heaven, She who embodies the Lady in all Her three aspects, as Maiden, as Mother and as Crone.
The motifs of this day are light, blessings and purification. Its colours are white, pink, gold and red. The plants of Imbolc are fragrant plants such as angelica, basil, bay laurel, blackberry, celandine poppy, coltsfoot, heather, iris, myrrh, tansy and violets. Its gems are amethyst, bloodstone, carnelian, turquoise, garnet, onyx, ruby and turquoise. At this point in the turning year the ancients would have been surviving on those foods which could be dried or otherwise stored during winter, so the foods of Imbolc are seeds such as pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds and poppy seeds, baked goods, dairy products and root vegetables such as potatoes, turnips, parsnips, onions and carrots. Peppers, garlic, raisins, spiced wines and teas of various kinds were also consumed.
On this day cleanse your home of winter thoughts and the lingering traces of Yule. Place a lighted candle in the window of every room at sunset on Candlemas Eve (February 1), and do be sure that the candles are securely seated and away from draperies. Burn incense of basil, bay laurel, wisteria, cinnamon, violet, vanilla and myrrh. Perform a blessing of the hearth, then kindle a fire in your fireplace or wood stove and feed the flames with fragrant logs of birch, hickory and apple wood. Cook a festive meal for your loved ones with dairy products and root vegetables, as the ancient Celts would have done - you may be sure that Hestia will be an innvisible but warm and loving presence in your home! Later in the evening, perform a candle meditation and think of the seeds and green things slumbering in the earth - think too of sunlight, springtime and gardens of abundance.
It is usually around this time, after a long interval of rest or hibernation, that I find myself feeling restless and beginning to stir again, to feel like rambling in the woods, no matter how cold it is. I console myself with thoughts that the days are becoming longer, and that Spring is not far off. There is usually a pot of paperwhites bursting into bloom on the big oak table in the dining room, and soon they are joined by pots of fragrant hyacinth and tulips. Gardening catalogues and nursery flyers with heirloom seed listings arrive in my mail box daily, and I peruse them with interest. In my dreams I am pottering about among my herbs, vegetables and roses, and my waking thoughts are of compost and seedlings. Plans for another glorious garden emerge slowly from my thoughts.
Imbolc or Candlemas is the harbinger of Spring, but here in the north it is celebrated indoors in a time of darkness, bitter cold, deep snow and icy winds. The true observance of this ancient feast or fire festival is within the heart, and all is just as it should be. In the words of Antoine Ste. Exupery, it is only with the heart that one may see rightly.
Page updated on January 13, 2003
