In Celebration of Imbolc and St. Brigid’s Day

Imbolc or Imbolg, strongly intertwined with La Fhéile Bhríde (the festival of St Brigid or St. Brigid’s Day), is celebrated from February 1 through sundown February 2, marking the start of the end of winter, or precisely the halfway point between the winter solstice and the spring equinox. It dates back as far as, and possibly even further than, the 10th century..The holiday is celebrated by Wiccans and other practitioners of neopagan or pagan-influenced religions. It’s one of the four major Celtic festivals which also include Bealtaine, Lughnasa and Samhain.

In the ancient Celtic tradition, there is a celebration of the relationship between the dualistic forces of light and darkness, between what is seen and unseen. These principles move in cycles - day and night, life and death, and in every decrease and increase. Nature sleeps during winter and awakens during summer. The Celts saw the interplay between these two states as essential to the continuation of the cycle of life upon the land. The year is divided into two halves, Samos (summer) and Giamos (winter). For our pagan ancestors, the Giamos half of the year has its midpoint at Imbolc, this is the point at which ‘decrease’ turns to ‘increase’

The word Imbolc derives from the Irish, ‘i mbolg’, meaning ‘in the belly’, or "first milk" in the old Irish Neolithic language. It heralds the birthing season, as the soon-to-be-born lambs are growing in their mother’s bellies.

The Celts celebrated Imbolc to honor these first stirrings of life and is the time to honor the fertility goddess Brigid. Brigid (pronounced Breed or Breej). The many names used to refer to this important Celtic Goddess include Brigit, Brighid, Bride, Bridget, Bridgit, Brighde, and Bríd. Brigid is one of the most venerated deities in the Pagan Irish pantheon. She was a goddess of the Tuatha dé Danann  and a daughter of a slave mother and a noble father,. the chief of the gods, The Dagda. Her mother was sold to a Druid landowner, and therefore Brigid grew up alongside the Celts in Ireland. It was during this time as a very young child that she began to demonstrate her generosity, feeding the poorest of the poor and healing the sick. 

Her name means exalted one, while her earliest Gaelic name, Breo-Saighead, means fiery arrow. These ‘fiery arrows’ illuminate our minds, hearts, and spirits. As a solar goddess, she embodies the element of fire and is commonly depicted with rays of light or fire emanating from her head. In her human form, she was born at dawn between night and day on a threshold between winter and spring.

Worshippers sometimes call Brigid the ‘Triple Goddess’ for her fires of the hearth, inspiration, and the forge. She has an impressive portfolio including and not limited to Matron of babies; blacksmiths; boatmen; cattle; chicken farmers; children whose parents are not married; dairymaids; dairy workers; fugitives; infants; mariners; midwives; milkmaids; poultry raisers; printing presses; sailors; scholars; travelers; watermen; creativity scholars and poets. She  rules the fire of the hearth as well as the fire of imagination through poetry. My beloved daughter was named after her.

In Ireland, people would often make Brigid Crosses of rushes or straw and hang them on their front doors, this was to bring good luck, prosperity and fertility to the households. Bonfires were lit in honor of Brigid and girls carried small dolls made of straw or oats representing the goddess from house to house to bless them. Sometimes offerings were left tied to trees near small springs called clootie well.

Its shape possibly derives from the pagan sun wheel. It is also traditionally believed that the Saint Brigid’s Cross protected the house from fire and evil. 

As Christianity spread from Rome to northern Europe and the British Isles Imbolc was adopted as Candlemass, still celebrated on February 2. and when Christiainity came to Ireland, Brigid became Saint Brigid, complete with a human history beginning around 450 A.D. in Kildare, Ireland. As a saint, she was known for feeding the poor and healing the sick. A perpetual flame that was tended for centuries by pagan priestesses.

One of Ireland’s three patron saints, the Catholic Church claims St. Brigid was a historical person.There are several sources for her life, the most comprehensive of which is the Vita Sanctae Brigitae, written by a monk named Cogitosus around the year 650, about 125 years after her death.She reportedly died in her monastery in about 525 AD and the flame was maintained until it was ordered extinguished during the reign of King Henry VIII. Today, a new flame has been kindled at Kildare and it has been passed all around the world.

Whether or not she existed, these stories contain aspects in common with the details of the pagan goddess and illustrate the transition from pagan to Christian worship.

Perhaps one of the most quietly exciting festivals of the Celtic year, Imbolc is a celebration of the awakening natural world and a time of cleansing. On our forays outside, we begin to see new life poking through the soil and buds tightening on trees. Imbolc is a time for bringing new ideas and projects into the burgeoning light, for growing what we have been reflecting on over the winter months.

While too early for planting gardens, Imbolc can be a time to start thinking about what you want to plant and harvest in the coming year and in modern day living Imbolc and the quiet weeks post holiday season is also a great time to reflect and think about where you want to go in the coming months. 

Imbolc is a celebration that has been passed down from generation to generation in different parts of the world. Needless to say, it is one of the strong traditions that will continue to be carried forward even by those who don’t truly believe in the customs and holds great importance in the lives of many.

This celebration held great spiritual significance for the Celts. Some of the megalithic monuments and tombs they have left behind all around Ireland are perfectly aligned with the rising sun around the dates of Imbolc and Samhain.At the Mound of the Hostages found on the Hill of Tara in County Meath, the rising sun at Imbolc illuminates the inner chamber of the tomb.

The Mound of the Hostages at Tara is a Neolithic Period passage tomb. It was built around 5000 years ago around the same time that the ancient burial mound at Newgrange was built.

And while St. Brigid may be a woman who lived 1,500 years ago and the Celtic goddess Brigid pre-dates Christianity, Her story continues to inspire.

There are numerous legends about the woman,She performed numerous acts of kindness for the poor. The bulk of these involves providing food or healing as mentioned above. Notably, she is said to have restored sight to a fellow nun. Popularly, she is credited with having changed water into beer for a colony of lepers. This led to her sometimes, jokingly, being referred to as the patron saint of beer.

Brigid has been referred to as a bridge that occupies the space between the pagan goddess and the Christian saint. She is a bridge between the ancient and the new, the human and the more-than-human worlds. All can co-exist under her mantle. Imbolc is a liminal space and Brigid is a bridge between worlds. She is spirit, she is love, she lives. When we pay attention to all of this, we are offered potent medicine for these turbulent times. 

 "If the lark sings on St. Bridget’s Day it is a good omen, and a sign of fine weather. And whoever hears it the first thing in the morning will have good luck in all he does for that whole day." — Lady Wilde

February 1 is particularly special  today because  the Irish government has finally declared it a new public holiday to honor the country’s female matron thanks to a petition led by some powerful women in her honor.. May the life stirring underground stir new dreams in you. I offer you this old poem from my pen. 

 

Poem for Imbolc

The earth again prepares for spring,
Awakens after the coldness and dark of winter,
Life begins to grow in the wombs of the earth,
Bulbs planted begin to gently explode,
St Bridget's day, the gift of name,
Given to my mischievious daughter,
Fertility today returns unbound,
To stir our spirits, kiss our lips,
Deliver to us a poetic muse,
As the sun glistens in the sky,
We embrace the wheels of change,
We still cling on, still keep faith,
Blessed Imbolc, blessed be.