High Days - Imbolc

The festival of Imbolc is celebrated by modern Pagans on the 2nd of February. Pronounced 'imolk', the word 'Imbolc', although of uncertain translation, is suggestive of a connection to ewes and milk¹.

Imbolc is almost definitely a pre-Christian festival, albeit one that is lacking in Pagan period records², however given the strong association with 'St Brighid' (a figure far too similar to the goddess to be coincidental), there are many folk customs that were/are performed in her honour, and which have been adopted by a lot of modern Pagans.

One custom that Pagans might follow is to leave a piece of cloth (known as an brat Bride) out on the eve of Imbolc for Brighid to bless and that can be used for healing³. Another is to make a Brighid doll and a bed for her (known as a Brídeóg), and to show great hospitality to the goddess doll during the festival⁴. Pagans might also weave Brighid's crosses (críosog Bridghe) and hang them over their doors and windows as a sign of welcome for her⁵. Traditionally Brighid's crosses protect their homes from fire and other disasters⁶.

For some, Imbolc is also a time of purification, although it is not immediately clear where this aspect is derived from. It may be because of Brighid's long association with rivers (lending her name to river such as the Brent)⁷, or perhaps because of the Roman rituals of purification during the month of February (Februa)⁸.

Words – 258

1Hutton, R. (1996). The stations of the sun: A history of the ritual year in Britain (p. 134). Oxford: Oxford University Press.

2Ibid.

3Hutton, R. (1996). The stations of the sun: A history of the ritual year in Britain (p. 135). Oxford: Oxford University Press.

4Hutton, R. (1996). The stations of the sun: A history of the ritual year in Britain (p. 136). Oxford: Oxford University Press.

5Hutton, R. (1996). The stations of the sun: A history of the ritual year in Britain (p. 135). Oxford: Oxford University Press.

6St. Brigid's Crosses. (n.d.). Retrieved April 21, 2015, from http://www.askaboutireland.ie/learning-zone/primary-students/looking-at-places/kildare/saint-brigid/st.-brigids-crosses/

7Bitel, L. (2001). St. Brigit of Ireland: From Virgin Saint to Fertility Goddess. Retrieved April 21, 2015, from http://monasticmatrix.osu.edu/commentaria/st-brigit-ireland

8Hutton, R. (1996). The stations of the sun: A history of the ritual year in Britain (p. 139). Oxford: Oxford University Press.