Celebrating Imbolg

 

Imbolg, which most scholars believe means “in the belly,” referring to the time of year when ewes were about to begin lambing, is one of the four Celtic Fire festivals (the other three being Bealtainn, Lunastal, and Samhain), and is mentioned in numerous pieces of Gaelic lore, including the Tain bo Cuailgne and the Dinshenchas. The holiday, throughout the Gaelic world, is closely tied with the goddess Brigid, or Bride as she is known in Scotland.

Over the centuries, the legends that tie the goddess Bride with the Christian Saint Brigid have merged into a single narrative, with many ‘christian’ tales of the saint being drawn from the legends of the ancient goddess.

 

The ancient Bride was known as the daughter of An Dagda, the “good god” of Ireland. She was seen as a goddess of poetry, the forge, child-bearing, and domestic livestock.  In one writing she is called “Brigid of the Cowless,” referring to her being a guardian of the poor. Many stories tie her to the keeper of an eternal flame and as a presence at Holy Wells.

 Dating

 In modern days, the feast day is nearly universally celebrated on Feb 1, the day the church chose as “St. Brigid’s Day.”  But in pre-christian Ireland and Scotland, there was no Gregorian Calendar to mark the day. Many modern pagans calculate the day between the Winter Solstice and the Spring Equinox, and use that day for Imbolc.  But the ancient Celts did not use solar dating either:  The Coligny Calendar, a critical archaeological finding, shows that the Celts used a lunisolar way of reckoning time.  Time was counted by moons, with New Moons most likely beginning each month.  The four fire festivals all began on the first day of a new month – and that would mean that in 2023, Imbolg started on January 21 (the new Moon) and in 2024, it doesn't arrive until Feb 9.

Scotland’s Unique Lore

While Brigid is seen as one of the primary goddesses of Ireland, she is just as well known in Scotland.  But in Scotland, the lore takes a unique turn.

In widespread Scottish lore, The Cailleach is a giant-goddess who is said to have created the mountains and islands and lochs of Scotland. An elderly woman, she is said to rule over the winter months, and can freeze the ground solid with a single strike of her staff. 

According to many versions of this lore, she takes Bride, the goddess of spring and warmth as a hostage and holds her in a mountain cave at the start of winter. But her son Aengus falls in love with Bride, and helps her escape on the day we know as Imbolg.  This marks the first stirrings of spring and the inevitable end of winter.  On Beltainn, the summer begins and Bride once again reigns, as she will until the winter begins on Samhain. 

How to Celebrate

 There are many customs associated with Bride, which makes it easy to find a way to celebrate in some fashion.  These include:

Saining a holy well or small pond (walking sun-wise three times), and offering a prayer to Bride.

Making an offering to Bride: Milk is often seen as an appropriate offering, and even Christian Irish baptisms were performed with milk, rather than water, up until the 18^th C.  Or, offer a home-made libation or food item;

Tying a strip of cloth (a “clootie”) to a tree dedicated to Bride while offering prayers;

Reading or reciting many of the chants and prayers to Bride found in the Carmina Gadelica; 

Cleansing the house by sprinkling clean fresh river water around the entire exterior;

Leaving a cloth hanging on the front doorknob after sundown, and bringing it in the next day before sunrise, to be used to help cure illness;

Preparing a bed and/or table for Bride, who is expected to visit the house overnight;

And of course, having a huge bonfire to celebrate it as a true Fire Festival.