What is Imbolc?

 by Rowan Reddy

Image of St Brigid

Around a week ago was the halfway point between the winter solstice and the spring equinox, on the 2nd of February. This is welcome news for many, including me - I enjoy winter, but there are only so many days of cold weather you can take before it gets boring. However, writing this article helped me to feel a little more enthusiasm for winter - researching how ancient people viewed the transition between winter and spring helped me to see it with different eyes.

This pivotal moment between the dark and light halves of the year was known as Imbolc (pronounced ‘EE-molc’), derived from the Old Irish i mbolc, meaning ‘in the belly’. This refers to the lambing season which begins at around this time, when ewes give birth. 

Imbolc is one of the four fire festivals of Ireland, along with Beltane which falls on the 1st of May, Lughnasadh on the 1st of August, and Samhain, coinciding with Halloween, on the 31st October. These ‘quarter days’ were used to mark the procession of the seasons as well as a time to honour the deities associated with each festival. For Imbolc, this would be Brigid (pronounced BREE-id), one of the Tuatha Dé Danann, and the goddess of smithing, protection and animals. Imbolc is known as the Feast of Saint Brigid for Christians, honouring the saint who shares a name (as well as many attributes, such as her affinity for animals, especially boar) with the goddess. Saint Brigid is the patroness saint of Ireland, and according to mediaeval Irish texts, she was an abbess who founded several important convents, including the abbey at Kildare.

Traditional Imbolc activities often centre around fire and the coming of spring, and the making of a Brigid’s cross - woven from reeds, representing the sun, and also a national symbol of Ireland. Brigid’s crosses are sometimes hung in the rafters or doorways of buildings to bring good fortune to houses. These reed-woven crosses take a wide variety of shapes, but the most common is a traditional four-armed cross with a diamond shape in the centre, similar to a Mexican Ojo de Dios.

The counterpart of Brigid is the Cailleach - a divine hag who is said to cause the seasons to change from summer to winter, and is sometimes depicted as a raven with the head of the woman. She is said to come out on Imbolc to gather firewood to keep her warm through the last part of the winter. If Imbolc is a day of bad weather, this is a good sign - it signifies that she is asleep and not out gathering firewood, which means that she isn’t preparing for the winter to last a long time. In ancient Ireland, this would have been an important day to try and determine how much longer the winter would last for - a vital question, in a society primarily subsisting on agriculture. 

Overall, Imbolc is an intriguing and very ancient festival, with a rich history of folklore and myth behind it.