Spring Has Sprung

Okay....so I am finally going to get back into the swing of things and start posting again...YAY!!!

This is pretty late but I wanted to post something about Imbolc and its tradition and lore.

Imbolc (also spelled Imbolg or Oimelc) refers to the cross-quarter or the halfway mark between the Winter Solstice and the Spring Equinox and celebrates the beginning of spring and the return of daylight.

Though the terms are often used interchangeably, Imbolc is not the same festival as Candlemas. Imbolc is celebrated on January 31-February 1 and is of Gaelic origin while Candlemas is celebrated on February 2 and is of Roman Catholic origin. Within the Roman Catholic church, it is tradition to purify a mother forty days after the birth of a son. February 2 is exactly forty days after the birth of Jesus and this day celebrates the purification of Mary and the presentation of the newborn Jesus.

So back to Imbolc! Like I said before, Imbolc is the festival marking the beginning of spring. It is one of the four Celtic festivals that we have record of, the others being Samhain, Beltaine, and Lughnassadh. Originally Imbolc was directly associated with the lambing season, the time of the year when the ewes begin to lactate. Because it is a festival celebrating hearth, home, spring and light, common traditions involve hearthfires, purification and cleansing rituals, and kitchen magicks. Candles are also a common sight during this festival to celebrate the lengthening days and the return of daylight and warmth.

This festival is most closely associated with the Gaelic goddess Brighid (Brigit, Brid, Brighde, Bridget) also known as Saint Brighid in Catholicism. Legend says that Brighid would visit the households of the virtuous on Imbolc Eve and bless those within. Items of clothing would be left outside in homes that Brighid would bless the cloth and bestow upon them powers of healing and protection. The ashes of the nights fire would be raked smooth and checking the next dawn to see if Brighid's mark would appear.

The main reoccuring concept of Imbolc is the return of light and the beginning of spring. This is a time to focus on new beginnings, fresh starts, and life in general. Do some spring cleaning, take some time to meditate on what you want to change this year, go outside to experience the sights and sounds of Mother Earth reawakening after her winter slumber.

This is all for now, I'll be back though.
As always blessed be!

Celebrating the Harvest

Brightest Blessings Everyone!

Today is the ancient Celtic festival of the harvest, the first of three harvest festivals including Mabon and Samhain. This day takes its name from the Irish god Lugh, one of the Tuatha De Danann. Today is know as Lughnasadh is Ireland and Lunasdál in Scotland. However, Lughnasadh has an older name, Brón Trogain. This name refers to the pain that comes with childbirth, which is fitting because this is the time of the year that the earth gives birth to the first of her bounty.

The Lughnasadh festival was started by Lugh as a feast dedicated to his foster-mother, Tailtiu, who died from exhaustion after clearing a great forest in Ireland to be cultivated and farmed. She told the men of Ireland on her death-bed to hold games in her honor, and if they did so, Ireland would not be without song. That is why it is not uncommon to have contests of strength and skill at this time. Her name, which comes from the Celtic Talantiu or "The Great One of the Earth", suggests that she was a personification of the land itself. We honor her today for her sacrifice as well as the sacrifice of the earth, because no harvest comes without a sacrifice.