Your Imbolc Celebration

How best to celebrate Imbolc? It’s a question I have answered before, as might be expected, but the question keeps coming up. So I’m going to try and answer the question here. Fundamentally though, it’s up to you how and when you run your Imbolc celebration.

When is Imbolc?

One of the first questions that come up for an Imbolc celebration is when to celebrate. And I understand. Particularly when you’re new at these things, you want it to be right. You don’t want to make any beginner mistakes. (Hate to break it to you but… you probably will anyway. When you know better you can do better!)

There are 3 options that I consider here:

• Astronomical Imbolc. This would be the midpoint between the winter solstice and the spring equinox. This year, it appears to be 5th February. I don’t tend to keep track of this very well, but that doesn’t mean it will work for you.
• St Brigid’s Eve. This would be the evening of the 31st January into the morning of the 1st February. Based on the saint’s day of 1st February, and the night that the brat bhríde is left out for generations. This can feel a bit too Christian for some people, and that’s ok. I tend to mark the occasion anyway, on this day, out of habit if nothing else.
• The nearest weekend to the 1st February. Especially since Ireland gained the first Monday in February as a bank holiday, this is a great weekend for me to organise myself for my Imbolc celebration. I have time to plan things, usually. I can engage with people, online and in person. I’m not driving long hours with work. It all matches up.

OK but which to choose? This kinda falls in with how you plan your Imbolc celebration. If you want a big ritual, planning it for a day when you have fewer responsibilities is probably sensible. If you want to celebrate in a smaller fashion, you might have more flexibility. For me, actions like leaving out the brat Bhríde, the leaba Bhríde, making the Bhrídeóg – they belong on the evening of the 31st January, through long generations of traditions in Ireland.

What to do?

Previous posts linked above have mentioned a few of the arts and crafts that can be used in your Imbolc celebration. Crosses, dolls, beds for the dolls… all of these can be added in to your ritual.

I often include cards as well – sometimes to help guide me over the coming months, other times for a specific issue or topic. The deck I currently use most with Brigid is this one. And yes, it will be featuring in my ritual for Imbolc this year.

Food has also been the topic of a previous post. The notion of a celebration without food is a bit strange to me, but people have them. And if your ritual is more spiritually focused, you may find that food as representation will serve you better.

On the other hand, if you are stuck for ideas on what to include in your Imbolc celebration, there are a few classes you can look at.

I have a class in the Irish Pagan School that includes a basic Imbolc ritual. Lora O’Brien has a more detailed class on the traditions and lore surrounding the festival in Ireland. And of course, I have two other Brigid classes on there, for more background information.

Who to include?

Your Imbolc celebration is pretty much.. well… yours. If you are in a position to gather rushes or other natural means to make a Brigid’s cross – children love that stuff. It’s a great way to include them in the celebration. The same with the brídeóg, the leaba, the food, lighting candles (depending on age and ability of course!)

For myself, my darlin, long-suffering husband will watch with bemusement as I tie my brat to the door handle. Well, he’s getting used to it, but he comes from what might be termed an areligious background. But he supports me in all this, so I’m not complaining!

Where to hold your Imbolc celebratrion?

This can be a difficult decision to make. I myself will be celebrating in private, with the aforementioned husband, as well as in more public spheres with various groups, rituals, celebrations, conversations, etc.

How you celebrate has a major influence on where you hold you Imbolc celebration. If it’s a private ritual, then, someplace private and close to home. If it’s more public, you’ll need to consider numbers, accessibility, objectives, all sorts. I cover some of this in the aforementioned courses, and others in the blogs linked to in the first paragraph.

For myself, I will hold my Imbolc celebration in my living room – for the private offering. I will probably hold at least one in my Facebook group . There will also be other online options for various groups I’m involved with.

Anything else?

Well, I hope that helps. Just remember, your Imbolc celebration is just that… yours. Make it fit your life. Engage with the traditions, sure, but accept that you are living in the modern world and not necessarily engaging with the agricultural traditions where these practices originated.

And, as always, reach out with any questions!