Imbolc 1st February 2025

This festival marks the approximate midpoint between Yule and Spring Solstice - it varies slightly each year because the Equinoxes and Solstices are not fixed dates - they are marked by the Sun's movements, not a date on a calendar. Over time however the 1st of February has become the date that many pagans celebrate this festival.

We are in mid-winter now, so this time marks the point where we are beginning the move out of winter and towards Spring and we celebrate with candlelight and look for the shoots of growth that are all around us.

This festival is closely associated with Brigid and in Ireland there is now a Bank Holiday dedicated to her which is set as the first Monday in February, except where St Brigid's Day happens to fall on a Friday, in which case that Friday 1 February will be a public holiday. So this year the Bank Holiday will be on the 3rd February.

Brigid is one of the Patron Saints of Ireland and her symbol the Brigid's Cross (which you can see in the picture above), is one of the national symbols of Ireland and would be woven from grasses or rushes on 1st February in her honour and hung in the house to bring blessings and protection to it for the next year. If you would like to make one yourself from paper straws there is a good and easy tutorial here.

It's also the traditional time for Spring Cleaning; when we had fires to heat our homes the residue of the smoke would have built up over the winter, and the strengthening light would have shown it up strongly. The walls would have been cleaned, maybe a coating of lime paint was applied to brighten the home, and doors were opened to freshen the air inside. It was the start of preparations for being able to get out more and the preparation for gardening and planting crops.

We may not feel the need to spring clean so deeply these days, but we do feel the call of the lengthening days and this is the time of year to start planning our gardens, ordering seeds etc, booking a summer holiday or just getting out a bit more!

Imbolc is my favourite festival of the year as it was the first festival I celebrated and this year as always I shall be lighting candles and making wishes for the plans I have made for the year ahead to succeed.