Imbolc
This is Brighid's feast, and so it is ours. The ewes are heavy with lamb and their milk has come in. The light has visibly lengthened. The ground is still hard, but something under it has decided. Imbolc is the festival of things that have decided.
What it is
In Ireland, Imbolc was the first day of spring, whatever the weather said. The word may mean "in the belly," for the pregnant ewes, or "ewe's milk," and both are right. It is the day Brighid walks the land. On Imbolc Eve families left a cloth or ribbon on the windowsill, the brat Bríde, for her to bless as she passed; it was kept all year for healing. A bed was made for her by the fire. Girls carried the Brídeog, a doll of straw dressed in white, from house to house. And in every house a cross of rushes was woven and hung above the door, where it stayed, greying, until the next Imbolc replaced it.
For witches, Imbolc is the Goddess returning as Maiden after the Crone's winter, the God a growing child, the first candle of the waxing year. It is the festival of cleansing, of initiation and dedication, of poetry, and of the hearth itself. Many covens hold their initiations now. We make our Hearthkeeper dedications at Imbolc for the same reason: it is when the year says yes.
How we keep it at the Hearth
- Weaving the crosses. We gather with armfuls of rushes, or raffia when the rushes are under snow, and weave Brighid's crosses for every door in every home. Last year's go on the Imbolc fire.
- The brat Bríde. Each of us leaves a cloth out on Imbolc Eve. They are used through the year for healing work and for wrapping the newborn, the sick and the dying.
- Brighid's bed. A small bed is made by the hearth and the doll laid in it, and the door opened: Brighid, Brighid, come in, your bed is ready.
- The candles. Every candle in the house is lit at once. For one hour the house is as bright as it will be all year.
- Cleansing. The hearth is swept, the altar stripped and dressed fresh, the house walked with juniper smoke or salt water.
- Poetry. Brighid is the poets' goddess. Everyone brings a poem, their own or another's. There is no getting out of it.
- Dedications. Those who have kept their year and a day make their promise to the Hearth. See Joining the Hearth.
Correspondences
| Colours | White, pale green, red for the forge fire, gold |
|---|---|
| Foods | Milk, butter, cheese, oatcakes, bannock, seeds, lamb for those who eat it, blackberry wine kept from autumn |
| Herbs and plants | Rushes, snowdrops, birch, rowan, heather, bay, blackberry leaves, oats |
| Symbols | Brighid's cross, the flame, the well, the anvil, the white cow, the serpent waking from the hill |
| Deities honoured | Brighid above all; also the Maiden, Vesta, Hestia, Februus |
Small things to do
- Light a candle at dusk on 31 January and say Brighid's name out loud.
- Leave a scarf on the windowsill overnight and wear it when you need courage.
- Sweep your doorstep. All the way. Then stand on it and breathe.
- Write four lines about something that is beginning.
- Drink a glass of milk, or oat milk, slowly, and think about the ewes.
An Imbolc blessing
Brighid of the mantle, encompass us. Brighid of the forge, temper us. Brighid of the well, heal us. Brighid of the poem, give us words. Brighid of the hearth, be welcome here; your bed is ready and the fire is lit.
Read more about our patron: Brighid of the Hearth. Next on the wheel: Ostara