At the darkest time of the year, when darkness begins to take its toll, the Imbolc festival is there to remind us that winter is almost over and spring is on its way. Imbolc is celebrated on the second of February, in honour of Brigid, who will influence the entire period from Imbolc to Beltane. Brigid, the wise woman who symbolises the principle of the sacred feminine, represents both the Celtic goddess Brigid and the Christian saint, Saint Brigid. Today, it's impossible to distinguish pre-Christian stories and traditions from Christian ones, so intertwined are the stories of the 2 Brigids. This is also one of the strengths of the figure of Brigid, who brings traditions together and goes beyond titles or appropriations to bring a message of tolerance and peace. The figure of Brigid is still very much alive in Celtic countries, especially in Ireland, where many pagan-Catholic festivals are held in her honour.
The goddess Brigid, associated with the elements of fire and water, honours the principle of the divine trinity, which she translates into 3 different aspects of transformation: forging (alchemy, the principle of fire), poetry (the arts and divine inspiration, the principle of air) and healing (health, the principle of water). She is the guardian of many sacred springs in Celtic countries, and a sacred flame is still lit in her honour today in the central square of the town of Kildare in Ireland ('Kildare' means oak temple, the oak being a sacred tree in Druidic tradition), as well as in many homes and communities that honour the principles and energy of the goddess.
With the energy of water, Brigid helps us to purify our bodies and our energy after the winter months, and to get our vital energy moving again, to get the energy of creation and inspiration flowing and active again. It helps nature to revive and circulate the sap of life.
As a manifestation of the principle of fire, it invites us to keep faith and hope, and rekindles our inner flame, our energy, to prepare us for action. With its fire and light, it awakens nature and invites it to emerge from its winter slumber. She shows us that after a period of decline, life and growth always resume. A goddess who presides over and accompanies the rebirth of nature, she is often invoked at the time of childbirth to help mothers give birth to their children.
Other symbols of Imbolc (source: Nemet Ana College)
- The colour of the day is white, like purity, milk and snowdrops. It is the colour of the sacred.
- The celebration is usually held at night in order to be in the presence of the moon.
- It is customary to light 8 candles or small fireplaces, symbolising the 8 serpents of the Earth (the great vouivres) and the 8 annual festivals.
- The symbol trees are the Holly (kellen which also means: master teacher) and the Birch (because its buds are the earliest and offer, in decoction, a purifying syrup).
