Imbolc has its origins in Ireland and is celebrated from February 1st to February 2nd. The festival is celebrated as a fertility festival, a shepherd's festival, a festival of light, Brigid's Day, Candlemas or a festival of purification and new beginnings.
The fertility festival marked the change of season from winter to spring. The first awakening of nature in winter. The arrival of spring light and warmer days. The seeds have been sown and are waiting for the light and warmth from above to awaken. As a custom, straw figures were made that served as healing and protective symbols and were used in rituals. Imbolc is the beginning of spring in the Celtic cycle and means “in the womb of the mother”.
The shepherd's festival is celebrated with the arrival of the lambs, at the time when the ewes give milk again.
The Festival of Light is so called because the lengthening days reflect the hope of spring. So you could say that between February 1st and 5th, the halfway point between the winter solstice and the spring equinox occurred. On one of these days, all the lights in the house are turned on for a few minutes. Rituals are held with more candles, omens are looked for, bonfires are lit and there are very special foods to eat, such as butter, milk and bannock bread.
Bannock bread
Ingredients:
2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 tablespoon sugar
1/4 cup butter
3/4 cup water
Preparation:
Mix flour, salt, baking powder and sugar well in a bowl. Then add the butter into small pieces and add it to the bowl. Now knead the butter with the ingredients in the bowl until the mixture becomes crumbly and only then add the water. Knead the dough until it is smooth. If the dough is smooth, you can shape it into flat cakes by dividing it so that it fits in a pan and is not too thick.
Add some oil to the pan and fry the flatbreads over medium heat until golden brown. Then remove from the pan and enjoy. If you want, you can also add herbs.
In Ireland, as of last year (2023), the first holiday named after a woman is Brigid's Day. It's about the goddess Brigit and the Christian abbess Brigid of Kildare. Many myths have merged with both. It is known that the abbess lived around the year 500. Both women represent many things, such as wisdom, creativity, protection, sustainability, charity, hope, healing and spiritual feminism and so on. The day is always celebrated at the beginning of February, on a Monday, unless February 1st is a Friday - then there. Would then apply on February 5th this year. In schools, children make the Brigid'd Cross out of rushes. The old cross is ceremoniously burned and the new cross finds a place on the wall in its place. The rush cross is an ancient Celtic symbol and, according to its meaning, offers protection from fire for a whole year. According to tradition, Brigid made this cross in order to convert a person lying on the side of the road to the Christian faith before his death.
Candlemas is a church holiday and is celebrated in the Catholic Church exactly 40 days after Christmas, as the "Presentation of the Lord", on February 2nd. It is reminiscent of the presentation of Jesus in the Temple, who is understood as the light of the people of Israel. Christians bless their candles on this day. Back then, the day was an important farmer's day. There the servants and maids received their annual wages, either in money or in kind. They were also informed whether their employment contract would be extended by one year or not.
Groundhog Day or Groundhog Day is a cultural holiday celebrated every year on February 2nd in the United States and Canada. A weather forecast was made for the rest of the winter, with woodchucks being lured out of their burrows for the first time of the year. When the animal "sees its shadow," that is, when the sun shines, winter is said to last another six weeks. In 1841, James Morris of Pennsylvania wrote: “Last Tuesday, February 2nd, was Candlemas, the day on which, according to the Germans, the woodchuck peeps out briefly from its winter quarters. When it sees its shadow, it disappears back into its cave to sleep for the next six weeks, but if the day is cloudy, it stays outside because the weather will be temperate." There is also a film about this that I watch over and over again I like to see “And the groundhog says hello every day”.
Wiccans celebrate the annual festival of Imbolc as one of the eight Sabbats in the Wheel of the Year.
Imbolc: The festival of purification and renewal, celebrated on February 1st or 2nd, ≈ 15° ♒ (Aquarius). It marks the end of winter and the beginning of spring. It is a time to honor the Goddess in her maiden form, clean the house and make new plans. For example, you can clear out and clean your apartment, do a so-called spring cleaning, and smoke your living space with sage, frankincense, myrrh or lavender. Cleanse yourself with a sea salt bath or shower. Connect with nature or call on the goddess of the annual festival, Brigid. She is the goddess of light and fire, but also the goddess of poetry, healing, blacksmithing and fertility (as already mentioned above).
There is so much to report about the few days that I tried to keep it short. The only important thing is that no matter what you celebrate, the main thing is that you feel comfortable with it, whether ecclesiastical, cultural or spiritual. In addition, everything is somehow connected and networked. I wish you a happy Imbolc holiday.
Furthermore, I came across “Februa” during my research. Where in the Roman Empire an atonement and purification festival was held as part of the Lupercalia (which was the main festival of the Roman herd god Faunus). At this festival on February 15th, young women were whipped with straps cut from goatskin, so that they would remain barren. Lupercalia was a purification and fertility festival, I'd rather imagine the rest otherwise I'll feel sick thinking about what else happened to the young women.