Imbolc, Candlemas and Groundhog Day

Today is Imbolc, the pagan festival sacred to the Goddess Brigid. Not so coincidentally, it is also Candlemas, the Christian festival sacred to Saint Brigid. And of course, it is also Groundhog Day here in North America.

Last year I bitched mightily about the difficulties of celebrating Imbolc in winter-bound Canada (here and here) and about how Groundhog Day really suits us better (here). This year I choose to follow the brilliant lead of Goddess artist Thalia Took, who tirelessly promotes Groundhog Day over at her blog Amused Grace. She has created a whole series of witty Groundhog Day cards that you really should check out at her shop. Her illustration of Brigid and the Groundhog surrounded by Sacred Candles is one of my favourites!

And as Thalia Took says: Remember -- the Groundhog is the Reason for the Season!

Brigid's Cloak

Imbolc is sacred to the Celtic Goddess Brigid (who does undercover work these days as the Irish Catholic Saint Brigid). She is the Goddess of many things, including healing. There is a charming ritual associated with Brigid and the Eve of Imbolc (which is today, February 1st). As recounted by Sara Jane Kingston on her website:

Traditionally, the brat bhride, or Brigid's Cloak, was laid outside before sunset on the eve of Brigid's Feastday, 1st February, and brought back in before sunrise. Blessed by Brigid, ancient Spring goddess and saint, the dew which fell that night imbued the cloth with powers of healing and protection which lasted throughout the year.

It would then be kept in a special place in the house and brought out as needed when illness occurred. It could be wrapped around the head to cure a headache; it was widely used by midwives to help women in childbirth, for Brigid was especially known as being the patron of healers and midwives. It was used on sick animals also, especially cows and sheep for which Brigid had a special affinity.

This is why Imbolc is difficult in Canada. There is not a single drop of dew to be had anywhere in this country at this particular time of year. If we put out a Brigid's Cloak on Imbolc Eve, the next morning it will be frozen stiff under a few inches of snow, assuming that it has not blown away in the wazoo-seeking Arctic breeze referred to yesterday.

This concludes my bitching about Imbolc. Tomorrow I will blog about our home-grown substitute Imbolc ritual.

Imbolc

The pagan festival of Imbolc occurs in a couple of days on February 2. This festival has always been a difficult one for me to grasp. It celebrates not so much Spring itself, but the promise of Spring. Now this is all well and good in Europe where winters are milder and shorter than here. Maybe in Europe on February 2 the snow is starting to melt and lambs are being born and ewes' milk is being produced, but here in Canada we still have freezing cold, tons of snow and a stiff Arctic breeze blowing up our collective wazoo. It's very hard to relate to Imbolc imagery here. (More bitching on this topic tomorrow!)