Jan 29, 20237 min read

Exploring Imbolc

Updated: Mar 16, 2023

The ground is beginning to thaw and signs of Spring life are starting to pop up around us. Let's talk Imbolc! Below, I will cover:

A Brief Summary
History & Background
Celebrating
Resources & Further Reading

Let's begin!

A Brief Summary

Names: Imbolc, Imulg, Candlemas(s), Brigid's Day, February Eve

Date(s): In the Northern Hemisphere, typically February 1st but it has been known to fall on January 31st or February 2nd. In the Southern Hemisphere, this day usually lands on August 1st.

Observances: Imbolc is the cross-quarter day, marking the (approximate) halfway point between Yule (the Winter Solstice) and Ostara (the Spring Equinox). This marks the coming end of Winter and the first stirrings of Spring are sprouting up. Days are continuing to get longer. Imbolc is viewed as a beacon of hope that the harshness of Winter will soon be at an end. This is another day of renewal and beginnings as well as fertility, purification, and hope.

History & Background

Just like all the other cross-quarter days, Imbolc has predominantly Celtic roots, and in Ireland it was once considered the start of Spring. But as for where it stands in the solar cycle--and in regards to its symbolism in relation to the life cycle--the sun was reborn at the Winter Solstice and is now gaining strength as the days are getting longer and the nights shorter. Winter and the darkness are receding and Spring and the light are rolling back in.

For many, this time is the peak of Winter and its chilly--often wet--weather, so Imbolc sits there as a beacon of hope in the darkness. While for many, it is still frigid outside, little signs of life are about to start peeking through the snow and ice soon, if they aren't already. As a San Francisco Bay Area native, this is typically the time of our heaviest rainfall (or it was prior to global warming...), but despite the gloominess of cloudy skies and storms, all the rain is allowing green to begin popping up around us. If you live in an area where it snows or in a desert climate, Imbolc probably presents very differently for you than it does for me, which is one of a few reasons why I consider this kind of an odd duck of a sabbat.

Before we dive into the entire history, I have to confess... there isn't much to dive into. How this day was celebrated by the ancient Pagans is quite a mystery to us here in the present day. In my experience, and in my many years of celebrating this sabbat, I have found that modern Pagans celebrate this particular sabbat with much more variety and differences person-to-person than any other sabbat.

A good amount of our contemporary Pagan traditions regarding this sabbat are actually pulled from Christian traditions. But before you exit out of this article and decide to forgo celebrating altogether, you should know that the overlap does not invalidate this day and is there because of the root symbolism it represents. We will touch back on this as we go along.

In every video and article in which I cover the history of the sabbats, I like to discuss their different names as each one has at least two and they usually hold a good amount of meaningful and historical context. The name "Imulg" is thought to have meant "in the belly", which feels accurate because the earth is currently pregnant with all the new life that it will soon be giving birth to in the Spring. To be fully transparent, as lovely as the notion is, that translation is debated. However, even if it is an inaccurate translation, it is an accurate description.

The word "Imbolc" is linked to milking--as in the lactation of farm animals, particularly sheep--as well as purification. This actually brings me to Candlemas/Candlemass which takes place on February 2nd. It is also known as "The Feast of the Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary". This holiday began in Greece in the 4th century as a day of purification and the return to light. It was adopted by the Catholic Church in the 7th century and is commonly a day to hold purification rituals and candle blessings. (It amuses me that when I think of terms like "purification rituals" and "candle blessings", my mind goes to witchcraft and Paganism and certainly not the Catholic Church but 🤷‍♀️)

Unlike the evolution of many sabbats in the Wheel of the Year, Candlemas was not a Christianization of Imbolc--at least as far as we can tell--it just happens to fall around the same time and, again, is an acknowledgement of the same root symbolism in this time of year but packaged differently. No dates were forcefully moved around in an effort to convert the holiday the way that other ancient Pagan festivals were adjusted (e.g., Jesus's birth being moved to the time of Yule despite most scholars believing it likely took place sometime in the Spring.)

Groundhog Day, which takes place in the US on February 2nd, originated with the Pennsylvania Dutch (who have their own witchcraft traditions although they were not Pagans). It is believed to be an adaptation of a German Candlemas tradition.

Finally, we can't talk about this day without discussing the Celtic goddess Brigid. Remember when I referred to Imbolc as an "odd duck sabbat"? This is one of the other things that sets it apart from the other spokes on the Wheel of the Year: it heavily regards and many of its celebrations are influenced by a singular deity as opposed to an archetype or a group of deities that all represent similar things.

Brigid is the highly revered Celtic goddess of the forge, healing, poetry, domestic animals, protection, and teaching. It was believed that Brigid's light would rejuvenate the earth come springtime and remove the darkness cast by Winter. (As this is not an article on Brigid, this is merely a quick summary of this goddess and if you would like to know more, I highly encourage you to do some further reading.)

The Catholic Church later morphed her into Saint Brigid who is the patron saint of nuns, newborns, midwives, dairy maids, and cattle. It's commonly believed that there was never historically a woman named Brigid who was elevated to sainthood, but it is up for historical debate. There is, however, a lot of overlap in the mythology regarding the human Saint Brigid and the Celtic goddess Brigid. Enough that we know almost certainly that the goddess was swept up in the Christianization of the time and region.

There is still a lot of mystery, however, surrounding the goddess Brigid such as how far out she was worshipped--was it all of Europe or limited to a particular region of Ireland? There may have also been several goddesses named Brigid worshipped throughout the British Isles--connected or not--or just the one or various different aspects of the same goddess. We just don't really know.

The Catholic Church named February 1st as "Brigid's Feast Day" or "Saint Brigid's Day", and that has been absorbed into modern Paganism. Again, if you spend some or all of Imbolc honoring the goddess Brigid, providing her offerings, doing ritual in her name or in her honor, or if you spend Imbolc cleansing and purifying and blessing candles, don't feel like you need to cast those practices aside just because there is some overlap with the Christians. As previously mentioned: same roots, different package.

Unfortunately, Imbolc is a sabbat for which we are most limited on the historical information regarding how the ancient Pagans celebrated. Personally, I see nothing wrong with that. It makes it one of the most flexible sabbats to observe in whatever manner most speaks to you.

As always, I am only providing a brief overview of the history of this sabbat. To learn more, check out the resources listed at the bottom of this article.

Celebrating

Here is a jumping-off point for forming your celebrations. Please keep in mind that these lists are here to help but they are not definitive! You should absolutely put your own spin on how to decorate and celebrate based on how this sabbat works into your life and spirituality.

Decorations

Colors: White, red
Flora: Ginger root, blackberries, seeds (particularly of flora and vegetation that will sprout in the Spring)
Other: Candles (especially white, especially a lot of them), besom, Brigid's cross

Activities

Plan the layout of your Spring garden - As well as all the gardening supplies and tools you're going to need
Make a Brigid's cross
Meditate on this time - Bid the darkness goodbye and thank it for its time of tranquility
Go outside and take in the last bit of Winter - Inhale the chilly air, jump in a puddle or throw a snowball (if it's not too slushy yet), examine the beauty of the naked tree branches
(On that same note) Observe signs of Spring coming in - New buds beginning to sprout, greenery peeking through snow, snowmelt filling rivers and streams, activity of new animal life
Revisit your annual intentions - Sit down with your list of goals and intentions for the year that you set on either New Year's Day or during the Witches' New Year, and figure out what you are currently "pregnant" with and about ready to "give birth" to and what can you do to assist in your progress toward that
Light a ton of candles - If you can't do this for whatever reason, at sundown, turn on every light in your house (even if just for a moment so you're not wasting energy)

Rituals, Spellwork, & Magick

Spellwork to assist your next "birth" - As I mentioned above, you can examine your goals for the year, decide what you think you are most likely to bloom next, and whip up a little magickal assistance
Spellwork to assist with a transition
Perform a candle blessing
Cleanse and purify yourself and your space
Divination regarding the birth of something new or transitions
Intentions: Reconnecting with nature, purification, renewal, fertility, birth, new beginnings, hope