Imbolc, also called Imbolg or St. Brigid’s Day, is a traditional Gaelic holiday that is celebrated by pagans worldwide, including Wiccans as one of the eight Sabbats.
Imbolc marks the midpoint between the winter solstice (Yule) and the spring equinox (Ostara). As such, it is considered a cross-quarter day on the pagan wheel of the year, and it is often celebrated around February 1st – 2nd, or August 1st – 2nd if you’re in the Southern hemisphere.
What’s the meaning of Imbolc? Each winter, we shut ourselves up in our homes for warmth, much like the animals and insects that enter hibernation through the colder months. The home has collected dust and stagnant energy as we have shifted our focus to survival mode.
Imbolc is a word that comes from the Old Irish i mbolc (Modern Irish: i mbolg), meaning ‘in the belly’, and refers to the pregnancy of ewes at this time of year. Spiritually, Imbolc is a time of banishing the winter season so that we can sow a bountiful harvest in the springtime. During this time, we celebrate the first signs of the approaching spring: blades of grass and dandelions steadily emerge from the cold ground, the singing of birds returns to soften the cold chill of the air, and many of those hibernating creatures are beginning to awaken.
Imbolc is traditionally the great festival and honoring of Goddess Brigid, known as St. Brigid by Catholics.
How to Celebrate Imbolc
The days are becoming longer again, and we can finally open up our homes to clear out the winter blues that have been lingering within. This time of new beginnings presents a wonderful opportunity to cleanse and purify ourselves and our homes of that stagnant energy we’ve been building up in hibernation.
Let’s take a look at some Imbolc rituals and other ways that pagans around the world practice Imbolc, including the members of our group: The Infinite Roots Coven
Imbolc Rituals
1. Create an Altar for Imbolc
2. Seven Candle Ritual
3. Make a Brigid Corn Doll
4. Hold a Fire Feast
5. Home Cleansing Ceremony
6. Decorate for Spring
7. Bid Farewell to Winter
8. Winter Closing Meditation
9. Make a Brigid Cross
10. Prepare Your Garden
11. Consecrate Your Tools
12. Hold a Self-Purification Ritual
13. Candlemas
14. Groundhog Day
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