imbolc
Brigid’s Night
Name of Sabbat: Imbolc (alternative spellings include Imbolg and Óimelc; also sometimes called Candlemas, Brigid, and February Eve)
Date: February 1 (also sometimes celebrated on January 31 or February 2)
Pronunciation: “Im-BOWLK” (most Americans), “Im-MULG” (silent b, Ireland)
We know very little about the ancient Irish-Celtic celebration of Imbolc, but it was most certainly a real holiday, and the goddess Brigid undoubtedly played a major role in its celebration. The word Imbolc has been linked to two different activities, the first of which is milking, which is not surprising given the time of year. In Ireland, early February is when sheep would have been giving birth and, by extension, lactating. Imbolc has also been linked to purification, a popular activity in the early spring. In Ireland, Imbolc was also seen as the start of spring, though in many other places it was the height of winter.
Brigid was most certainly a part of early Imbolc celebrations, but just how much of a focal point is hard to say with any certainty. Much of that has to do with how little we know about the Celtic goddess of that name. She might have been a near-universal deity among European Celts, and there are others who believe her worship was confined mostly to the area around modern Kildare in Ireland. It’s also possible that there were several different Brigids worshiped throughout the British Isles. Those different Brigids might all be connected in some way, or each of them might be completely separate deities simply sharing the same name.
What can’t be questioned is that it was Brigid the goddess, and not a person of that name, who became a Catholic saint. There are no historical records pointing to a real-life Brigid, and her myths are so garbled that if there was a person behind the saint, that person had a life span of hundreds of years. In mythology, Saint Brigid was the wet nurse of the infant Jesus and is said to have died in the year 525 CE.28 Catholic mythology has an abundance of Saint Brigids, most of whom get lumped together by people who honor the saint today.
Many of the things we associate with the goddess Brigid today come from Christian celebrations of the saint (Brigit) who shares her name. The tradition of building a bed for Brigid (usually called Brigid’s bed) first shows up in Ireland’s Christian era, though it’s a custom that is part of many Witch rituals today and could theoretically go back to pagan antiquity. Even Brigid’s cross, a popular symbol for the goddess, dates back only to the seventeenth century in the historical record, but since the saint evolved directly from the goddess, I think it’s fair for us to use it.
Imbolc is associated with three different dates, and it’s up to each individual Witch to decide which one to use (or you could make it a three-day celebration!). The Celts began the next calendar day at sundown instead of midnight, meaning that Imbolc probably originally ran from the night of January 31 to sunset the following day. For this reason, the Catholic Church made February 1 the feast day of Saint Brigid. In his book The White Goddess, poet Robert Graves (he’s someone we’ll see a lot of in this book) gives the date of Imbolc as February 2, which is the date I most associate with the holiday.
February 2 is a popular date for holidays too. It’s the date of Groundhog Day in the United States and Canada. As with many old traditions, the origins of Groundhog Day are rather obscure but come to us from the Pennsylvania Dutch (the Amish are one example of the Pennsylvania Dutch, for those unfamiliar with the term), who most likely used a badger as their weather prognosticator in Germany and then switched to the groundhog upon arriving in America. It is said that winter will last six more weeks if a groundhog sees its shadow on February 2, and that an early spring will arrive if it doesn’t. In other words, cloudy or stormy weather on Groundhog Day is usually hoped for.
Groundhog Day is often associated with the Christian holiday of Candlemas, and throughout Europe, February 2 was seen as a bellwether of whether or not winter would be ending sooner rather than later. A Scottish poem sums up the day’s powers of prognostication:
If Candlemass Day be dry and fair,
The half o’winter’s to come and mair [more];
If Candlemass Day be wet and foul,
The half of winter’s gane [gone] at Yule. 29
Though Candlemas sort of shares a date with Imbolc (depending on what day you celebrate it), and many early Witches used the name Candlemas in place of Imbolc, the two holidays are not related. Candlemas began in Greece in the fourth century CE (far away from Ireland) and was later adopted by the Catholic Church in the seventh century. Candlemas celebrations in the Christian tradition often include purification rituals and candle blessings.
Candlemas, though not related to Imbolc, is probably still related to ancient paganism in some way. The word February comes to us from the Latin word februa, which signified purification, and there was even a holiday with that name in ancient Rome in the middle of the month of Februarius. February has long been associated with both spring cleaning and candles, two popular ritual activities at Imbolc.
Ways to Celebrate Imbolc
Just how a person celebrates Imbolc will most likely depend on where they live. For many, Imbolc might truly be the start of spring. In Northern California, where I currently live, flowers bloom, trees bud, and the grass turns a lovely shade of green every February. It’s not always super warm here, but there are usually several signs of what most people would call spring. When I lived in Michigan, early February was the height of winter, and searching for signs of spring with a foot of snow on the ground was largely a fool’s errand (though we tricked ourselves into doing this for years).
The Wheel of the Year is not about what the Celts did two thousand years ago; it’s about where we are as individuals and groups. If it’s winter outside, use some melted snow in your Imbolc rites and decorate your altar with bare branches and other signs of the season. If you live where it’s green in February, decorate with flowers and other seasonally appropriate items. Instead of dreading winter, celebrate it!
For many of us, Imbolc is about the return of the light. It’s a ritual theme this sabbat shares with Yule, but unlike in December, the increase in daylight is now easily visible. The sun sets a whole forty minutes later in February than it does in December. That may not seem like a lot of time, but it’s most certainly noticeable. Because of the return of the light, candles are a frequent sight at many Imbolc rituals. Candles can be used magickally to drive away any darkness in our own lives, and they make great reminders of the sun’s growing power.
Taking a page from Candlemas, Imbolc is a great time to renew ritual items. Over the course of a year, many of us go through multiple candles or we might break a chalice or other tool. Imbolc is a great time to dedicate new tools and retire old ones. My coven does an every-other-year ritual for this, which is included in this book in chapter 14.
Winter is also a time when the earth renews itself. Underground, all sorts of things are happening that we can’t see that are preparing the way for spring. February is also the time of year when many animals give birth to their young, renewing their herds. The very word Imbolc, with its ancient links to animals milking, has honored this part of nature’s cycle most likely from the earliest beginnings of the holiday.
Even though most rituals include some sort of purification rite, sometimes it’s beneficial to go a bit deeper than incense and salted water. At Imbolc, my wife likes to get out her athame and cut away any negativity or bad energy attached to those in her chosen family. A little extra cleansing and purification of your house or ritual space is another great idea to build an Imbolc ritual around. Get your broom out and sweep away any bitterness, resentment, or jealousy that might be plaguing your sacred space.
Most sabbats aren’t generally reserved for specific deities, with two exceptions: Lughnasadh (which contains the name of the god Lugh) and Imbolc (which is associated with Brigid). As we have seen, Brigid is such an important part of Imbolc that some Witches use her name for the sabbat! Devotions, thanks, and any other rite in honor of Brigid that you can think of are appropriate at Imbolc. For a lot of Witches, Brigid is the very reason for the season.