Imbolc: Festival of Light

Today is Imbolc, the ancient Gaelic festival marking the return of spring. To this day, people continue to celebrate Imbolc and its emphasis on the seasonal changes in the northern hemisphere at this time of year; a time of growing light and emerging new life. People also recognize and celebrate how Imbolc's promise of new beginnings is experienced in their lives.

Traditionally held on February 1, Imbolc occurs about halfway between the winter solstice and the spring equinox. It was widely observed throughout Ireland, Scotland and the Isle of Man, and is one of the four Gaelic seasonal festivals – along with Beltane, Lughnasadh and Samhain.

Notes Wikipedia:

It is believed that Imbolc was originally a pagan festival associated with the goddess Brigid, and that it was Christianized as a festival of Saint Brigid, who is thought to be a Christianization of the goddess. . . . Brigid was evoked to protect homes and livestock. Special feasts were held, holy wells were visited, and it was a time of weather divination, and the old tradition of watching to see if serpents or badgers came from their winter dens may be a forerunner of the North American Groundhog Day. Imbolc was also believed to be when the Cailleach – the divine hag of Gaelic tradition – gathers her firewood for the rest of the winter. Legend has it that if she wishes to make the winter last a good while longer, she will make sure the weather on Imbolc is bright and sunny, so she can gather plenty of firewood. Therefore, people would be relieved if Imbolc is a day of foul weather, as it means the Cailleach is asleep and winter is almost over. Although many of its customs died out in the 20th century, Imbolc is still observed and in some places it has been revived as a cultural event. Since the latter twentieth century, Celtic neopagans and Wiccans have observed Imbolc as a religious holiday.

Following is what Dianne Sylvan writes about Imbolc in her book, The Circle Within: Creating a Wiccan Spiritual Tradition.

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The wisdom of our bodies speaks to us as winter turns toward spring, and we feel the first sparks of energy in our muscles. Imbolc is here, the Festival of Light. A candle shines in the window, guiding us through the now-waning dark, and we start to look ahead,

Earth is the element of manifestation, and in order to manifest something, you first have to know what you want. At Imbolc, the Wheel of the Year is halfway between earth and air, and as air is the element of thought, Imbolc is a time to think things through while we wait.

Imbolc is a time to sweep away the last of the cobwebs of the old year, and often we find ourselves attacking our homes with a broom. As we do away with the dust, we wonder what to do with the space once it’s clean. Imbolc is preparation, consideration. Nothing has happened yet, and we aren’t quite ready to put our plans into motion, but we have plenty of time waiting for the winter to draw to a close. As the Earth reminds us, there is always time.

– Dianne Sylvan
Excerpted from The Circle Within:
Creating a Wiccan Spiritual Tradition
Llewellyn Publications, 2003
pp. 121-122

See also the previous Wild Reed posts:
• Imbolc: Celebrating the Freshness of New Beginnings
• Farewell Winter
• Welcoming the Return of Spring
• Spring: “Truly the Season for Joy and Hope”
• In the Footsteps of Spring: Introduction | Part I | II | III | IV | V

Related Off-site Links:
Imbolc: The Gaelic Festival Explained – OghamArt.com (January 31, 2020).
The Magical Energy of the Great Celtic Festival of Imbolc – Colette O’Neill (Bealtaine Cottage, January 24, 2021).
Brigid and Darlughdach: Celtic Saint Loved Her Female Soulmate – Kittredge Cherry (QSpirit, February 1, 2021).

Images: Michael J. Bayly.
Book cover design: Lisa Novak.
Book cover photography: PhotoDisc (2002).