The Wheel of the Year: More about Imbolc

I felt like posting something more about Imbolc, so here goes. I think that one of the best essays I've read about this festival -about its religious and mythological background and about its traditions- comes from Ellen Evert Hopman's A Druid's Herbal of Sacred Tree Medicine. It's a neodruidic book that's basically about the Ogham tree alphabet, but part two also focuses on more general aspects of modern druidism, and in one section she talks about the Celtic fire festivals.

DISCLAIMER: The following are excerpts from said book. No copyright infringement intended, entertainment and culture diffusion purposes only.
 Images are credited duly, unless the artist is unknown (by me) - in which case, if you know the name of the unknown artists, please let me known and I'll gladly credit them.

  ELLEN EVERT HOPMAN - A Druid's Herbal of Sacred Tree Medicine. Part 2 - Celebrate the Celtic Fire Festivals - Imbolc (bold is mine):

 "The festival of Imbolc (in the bag, in the belly), or Oimelc (ewe milk) in Scotland, is celebrated on February 1 and 2, or when the ewes begin to lactate. It is also called Lá Fhéile Bríde in Ireland, because it is also the festival of the goddess Brigid or Bríde, patroness of the flocks, herds, and motherhood. The observance is called Gwyl Mair Dechraur Gwanwyn in Wales, Laa'l Breeshey in the Isle of Man, and Goel Kantolyon in Brittany. The English name for the festival was once Candlemas, which eventually revolved into Groundhog Day festival of modern times.

The Feast Day of Brighid

Depiction of Saint Brigid, with many of the attributes of the former goddess Brigid: The wheat as a symbol of life and fertility,  the candles as a Solar symbol, the harp representing her musical and poetic inspiration aspect, and the sword representing her protective warrior aspect. Artist unknown by me.

Saint Brigid is one of the best known and most venerated of Celtic saints (...) Saint Brigid was said to have been reared on the milk of a white cow with red ears, the typical coloration of a Celtic Otherworld beast. She was said to possess a girdle that could heal all disease.

But long before Brigid the saint there was another Brigid, one whose identity and feast were gradually subsumed by the later historical figure, a goddess who was known as Brigid in Ireland, Bríde in Scotland, and Brigantia in Britain, Daughter of the Daghda, she was a triple goddess, said to always appear as three sisters, each named Brigid. Her spheres of influence were poetry, smithcraft, and healing. She was the patroness of the Druids and Bards. The Brigantes, a British Celtic tribe, honoured Brigantia as the High One and Mother of the Gods. She was the most prominent pan-Celtic female deity. (...) Her mother was Boann, Cow Goddess of the White Moon (...), making cows her sacred animals. She was also associated with the white mare, the serpent, and the red-eared, white-bodied hounds who guide travelers to the Otherworld.

Brighid was especially associated with healing wells and springs, and with sacred fire. As Brigantia she was especially concerned with the flocks and herds and with the produce of the earth.  These spheres were later taken up by Saint Brigid of Kildare, patroness of numerous holy wells, whose fire temple was tended by nine maidens until the Pope declared it heretical and shut it down. (The perpetual fire of Brighid has recently been relit by nuns in Ireland, and Pagans and Christians across the globe are once again tending fires in her name).
(...)

Found on Pinterest

Imbolc marks the midpoint of the dark half of the year. It also marks the beginning of the lactation of the ewes, an all-important milk festival of the ancients. (...) Along with the streams of new milk, Imbolc marks the time when other streams of life are reinvigorated in the land - forest animals begin their mating rituals and serpents begin to stir in their lairs. Farmers test the soil to see if it is thawed enough for the first plowings, and snowdrops spring up in the spots where Brigid's feet have trod.

At this time the Hag of Winter, the Cailleach, who has ruled since Samhain (...) drinks from the Well of Youth and her face is transformed from haggard old age to the serene and youthful face of Brigid. For this reason, Brigid is sometimes called The Maiden of the Rising Sun.

Brigid and her Druid rod. Artist unknown by me.

The Cailleach carries a Druid wand of great power, a white rod (...). With its magic powers she controlls the elements and the weather. Brigid carries a white rod too; but, whereas the Cailleach's rod brings storms and harsh weather, Brigid's brings warmth and new life.

It was said that where Brigid walked over the waters or touched them with her finger the ice melted, and that the land turned green where she spread her mantle upon it or when she breathed upon the hills. Families would leave a cloth outdoors on the eve of the festival to be blessed by the Sun and by Brigid on Imbolc morn. (...) the cloth would be cut into strips to be tied onto a sick person or animal throughout the remaining year.


Purification by Fire and Water

Imbolc celebrates the rekindling of the fires in the earth that give life and movement to plants and animals. Seeds burst open, sap rises, and animals begin their mating rites. The fire in the Sun begins to wax noticeably. Imbolc marks the time when it is no longer necessary to carry a candle to do the early morning chores. Candles are left burning on windowsills all night to mark the seasonal passage.

Brigid's blessings are involked on the forge and on the tools of the smith, and also on agricultural implements and the plow, the product of the smith's transformative art. Smithcraft is potent magic, the ability to fashion metallic ore into bronze or iron, and is directly under the sanction of Brigid.

To this day in Ireland there are numerous holy wells dedicated to Brigid. The ancient Celts marked the beginning of each agricultural cycle by purifying themselves with water. (...) Fire and water were seen as the building blocks of creation, the basic foundations for all transformative magic. By invoking a fire goddess in the waters the stage was set for growth and change.

The Solar Cross of the Goddess

Brighid's cross. By PumpkinPhotography on DeviantArt.

At Imbolc, the equal-armed solar crosses were plaited from rushes to bring luck to the home. In the Western Isles of Scotland the women dressed a doll (brídeog), named her Brigid, and placed her in a reed basket. On Imbolc eve, at sunset, they circled the house three times sunwise, carrying the basket, and then moved from house to house carrying Brigid's crosses and lit candles to every home in the village.

In parts of Ireland the eldest daughter of the house gathered rushes and brought them home, where she was formally welcomed by the family as a representative of Brigid. The girl would then go though the house, blessing the home, the food and drink within it, and especially the hearth.

A solar cross-shaped bread was placed on top of the rushes to be eaten later (...). The whole family participated in the making of crósoga, equal-armed crosses to be hung in the home and placed in windows. Rushes might be left by the fire overnight, covered by a white cloth, as a "Bríde's Bed". The Goddess was invited to sleep there overnight, thus empowering the rushes with her healing strength.

(From Susan Morgan Black's essay on Brighid)

(...)

A crios bríde, a hoop of straw with four solar crosses tied to it, was carried from home to home. Men would step through it and women would lower it over their heads and step through it three times to mark their "rebirth".

In some areas a brídeog (...) would be carried from house to house by young girls who sang and recited prayers at every door, where they were given small gifts in exchange. Often the girls would meet at the last house for a party with music and dancing.

Sometimes a single woman was chosen to carry a solar cross from door to door. She was understood to be the representative of Brigid, bringing blessings to each household. In Munster and Connacht the procession was composed entirely of men, dressed in white skirts and conical straw masks over their heads (...) uttering poetry.

(...)

Snakes and hedgehogs

(...) In Scottish tradition a snake was said to emerge from its mound on Oimelc, its motions and behaviour determining the remaining days of frost. If the snake became active, a thaw was imminent. If it returned to its nest, a month more of Winter was to be expected.

The serpent is an ancient symbol of the powers of the earth and of the Spirit that motivates the forces of growth, decay, and transformation. As the serpent sheds its skin, it illustrates the eternal powers of renewal inherent in the land. Snakes are also a symbol of healing. (...)

In Ireland it was the hedgehog who made an Imbolc appearance, and in the modern United States it is the groundhog who carries on the tradition.

Traditional foods at Imbolc

To celebrate the lactation of the ewes, butter is a traditional addition to any Imbolc dish [too bad for me, because I'm allergic to it]. Cake, bread, butter, or porridge are placed in the window and left as an offering fro Brigid's white cow, with whom she travels. The next morning these foods, blessed by Brigid, are eaten by the household (...) Butter or oil left out on Imbolc Eve is saved to make healing salves and ointments later in the season.

The blackberry is a herb sacred to Brigid. (...) Blackberry pies, jams, jellies, and wines can be added to the feast in Brigid's honour. (...) A large cake was baked for the family and smaller cakes for each family member. (...)  "