Imbolc

Another festive is coming, which is celebrated by lot of witches in different traditions. The feast of Imbolc came from Celtic traditions and is held on 1st of February. It represents the end of the Winter and the coming of Spring. It is celebrated on 1st of August on the Southern Hemisphere. It is known as Imbolg or Óimelc too.

There are two theories of its origin. The first one: the small lambs were born in this term, so the first menu after the lean Winter was the euthropic and greasy milk of the lambs.

The second one: it was a cleansing feast; people were cleaning their face and body with water from the melting snow.

(Image source: Google)

Some paths are dedicating this feast to Goddess Brighid. In the Christian tradition she is called as St. Brighid, and the feast is the Candlemas (or Groundhog Day). That’s why the most popular role of this feast is anointing and cleansing the candles. If you can, light a bonfire or just light a fire in your fireplace. If you don’t have one then light a bigger candle which can be burn all day or all night long. (Be careful with fire safety!)

Decorate your altar with some white flowers, seeds, branches of evergreen plants, milk, a small broom, candles, a doll made from cornhusk (it is the Brigid doll), or if you need to hide your practice then just bring some melting snow in a bowl and light a candle and put them on the middle of the dining table. Wear brown, light green or white clothes.

Festive meal can be made of lamb, handmade dairy products (for example sheep’s cheese or goat cheese with some herbs), pancakes, seedy cakes (poppy seed, walnut, pumpkin seed etc.), pumpkin, bread, onions and tea made from herbs without sugar. Herbs can be basil, bay leaves, blackberry, willow tree leaves, hawthorn berries, rosemary, mountain ash berries, dandelion, saffron or Angelica.

You can try out new divining techniques during the feast, or predict the future year, bless your home and your fireplace (oven in your kitchen to have food for all year long), to do healing spells, cleaning spells, clean your home, bless your family, and if you are an artist you can cast a spell for inspiration, it will work very good. Start planting, and prepare the garden for the Spring tasks.