Imbolc is a sacred holiday from the Celtic traditions of Pagan Europe. It recognizes the subtle shift from winter into Spring, and celebrates the simple movements and items that fill our lives. It is a holiday of the hearth, giving thanks for that which sustains us and feeds us. 

All who are curious and called are welcome to celebrate Imbolc. Let’s dive into the lore, history, and celebration ideas of Imbolc and reclaim the traditions of our collective ancestors.

In Her Belly

Imbolc translates to “In the Belly”, and is the time of the birth of new lambs and the flow of Mother’s Milk. This sheep’s milk was often crucial for Celtic people, as it provided them with necessary nourishment as their winter stores ran out and starvation loomed if Spring did not come soon. Imbolc is a celebration of the ewe, the cow, the goat; the sacred animals who share with us their abundant milk.  

In the Northern Hemisphere, this time of year represents those last few weeks in the belly of Winter. Winter is a time of gestation, where we go inwards into the dark, rapidly growing, shedding, growing, shedding in ways known only to us and those who hold us close.

 It can often be a time of discomfort, of longing for the warmth of spring and discontent with Winter. Discontent is extremely useful, in that it motivates us to take risks, move, grow, keep the flow of life and energy going. Let us honor the last phase of being in the belly, and notice what it is we yearn to experience so we may give it to our future selves. 

Brigid’s Day

Celebrating Brigid is a major element of Imbolc. Brigid was seen as the bringer of Spring, Queen of the Green Lands of the British Isles and mainland Europe. Brigid is one of the most widely celebrated of the Celtic Goddesses, and unlike many deities who were bound to one people or region, she was celebrated by many tribes all across a large geographical area. 

Honoring Brigid is a tradition that has been happening for centuries, as her worship continues on in the form of St. Brigid and thus was not lost during the Roman-Christian oppression and genocide of Celtic peoples. 

Brigid The Weaver

Cloth was a symbol of Brigid, as she was intimately tied to the sheep that fed and clothed the people. Strips of woolen cloth would be hung outside the home on Imbolc eve, and then brought in the next day covered in dew and used to heal bodily ailments. These cloths were called “Brat Brid”, and were thought to be blessed by Brigid the Healer. Strips of cloth were also hung from bare tree branches, to hail her in and invite her presence during the winter months.

 The cross of Brigid, a sacred symbol with four arms and an interwoven center, was crafted from dried reeds and wool yarn. 

Here is a video showing you how to make Brigid’s Cross: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bq0ci42PnLc

Children would make a “bridey doll”, a small doll made with corn husks, reeds, or wheat stalks tied into a dolly shape and dressed with scraps of clothing. A little bed would be made for the Bridey doll on Imbolc eve, and she would be put to bed there and live in the house as a welcome to Brigid, Goddess of the home. 

To make a Bridey Doll, check out this video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_axrwXKBMuA

Brigid, Goddess of The Hearth

Imbolc is the most potent time for celebrating the Hearth aspect of Brigid. She is the Queen of the Home, and oversees all the domestic duties traditionally done by women in their homesteads. 

At Imbolc the hearth would be put out, cleared of all its ashes, and started anew. Sometimes this fire would come from a central bonfire tended by the Druids and spread throughout the region via runners. 

The home would be refreshed, the broken mended, the useless burnt and disposed of, and the new brought in. Spring Cleaning is an old phenomenon that evidences our deeply intuitive connection to the seasons. 

Brigid as a fire Goddess warms the home in the form of the hearth fire, cooks the foods, heats the water for baths, laundry, and dish-clearing. Today we can find Brigid in our stoves, ovens, heaters, and hot water sources and thank her for keeping us safe, warm, and fed all winter long. 

Calling In The Spring

Groundhog Day is the modern celebration of our collective anticipation for Spring. Weather divination has been a part of human herstory throughout the ages. 

For the Celts, if Imbolc (February 2) was cloudy and dark, it meant that Spring would soon come, as Cailleach the winter crone would find no dry kindling for her fire, and would soon need to move out of the land. 

If the day was bright and sunny, then Cailleach would find abundant dry kindling to keep her home well-lit and her icy grip on the land would be prolonged. This pre-dates the tradition of the Groundhog emerging and seeing his shadow (long winter) or not (shorter winter). 

Winter work was usually halted, and candles were lit in windows to call in the long days of light. 

Farmers would plow a ceremonial furrow into the land, or plunge a spade into the ground to invoke an abundant harvest later in the year. If you have ever tried to dig frozen ground, then this ritual takes on a deeper meaning – there’s a reason the farmer would plow only one line!

 This act represents the struggle to survive in frozen lands for the Celtic people, and enhances the gratitude for the warm, wet soil soon to come. 

Ways To Celebrate Imbolc

Imbolc, like most Celtic holidays, is intimately tied to the practical needs of people following the agricultural year. We can celebrate the practical, the seemingly mundane. It is a time to find the sacred in every moment. 

One of the most beautiful aspects of Celtic traditions both pagan and Christian is that every day contains a point of connection to another being or element. Sweeping the floor is a sacred act. Cooking a meal is magic. Preparing a field to be plowed calls on the power of the Earth. 

This is what intimately ties us to the Divine, and She ceases to be something “out there”, distant and unreachable, and becomes again as the ancients knew her: a living energy in our Earth, our homes, our hearts, inseparable from each moment of breath. 

 This can be clearing the energy by burning sacred herbs, refreshing your fireplace, scrubbing down the kitchen, going through your possessions and giving away what you no longer need. Using cleaning materials made from herbs makes this process all the more enjoyable and sacred. 

Consider hanging out your own special piece of cloth to be blessed by Brigid on Imbolc Eve, February 1. Decorate a tree with ribbons to celebrate the advent of Spring, and enjoy the sight until the tree decorates itself with green new buds.

Blessed Be

On this Imbolc may you breathe life into the seeds you wish to grow this year. May you feel the ever-presence of the Mother. May the mundane become steeped in magic, and the quiet sacredness of giving order to our hearths, homes, and minds fill our lives with meaning and fulfillment. 

Merry Imbolc, and Blessed Be!

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