Imbolc and My Favorite Springtime Holiday Traditions

The History Behind February 2nd’s Many Magical Holidays

Over the centuries, many cultures have celebrated the coming of spring. While there is much wisdom to gain from the stillness of winter, I cannot deny how I welcome this season with open arms. February 2nd has become known as the day to honor this transition, but the varied holidays for its celebration are many. I’m sharing what I know of these days and how you can work with their unique traditions to bring magic to this special time of year. We begin with Imbolc.

IMBOLC

The first of these days is Imbolc, a holiday founded in Pagan tradition. It is celebrated as a mark on the Wheel of the Year when we receive our first sign of Spring, at the center point between Winter Solstice and the Spring Equinox. This 24-hour festival began and ended at sunset to acknowledge the sun’s returning strength. While the festival has many callings, it is centered around celebrating the warmth of hearth and home. Villages also associated Imbolc with the start of lambing season, tying the roots of its name to mean “in the belly” of their pregnant flocks. The day honors new life, a fresh start, and applying what lessons were learned from the passing winter’s introspection. The force of an ignited flame is seen as the key element we activate during Imbolc, symbolizing the warmth of the sun, the fire keeping us warm through winter, and the budding flame in our spirit. This holiday is what I believe to be the root of all this season’s celebrations. Learn how you can celebrate Imbolc with this simple ritual. 

ST BRIGID DAY

Brigid is the Celtic fire goddess most closely tied to this season’s holidays. Rituals and feasts in her honor began in Ireland to call upon divine feminine energy to support the fertility of village livestock. We declare a strong start to the harvest season and pray for warmth to sustain us through the final months of winter. Traditional practices include creating a corn husk doll in Brigid’s image, adorned with ribbons and gems. The goddess is believed to walk the Earth on St. Brigid’s Eve, so before going to bed, families would leave out articles of clothing to be blessed by her hand and keep them warm through winter’s end. On this night, she brings us out of the darkness and into the light. 

CANDLEMAS

The second holiday tied with February 2nd is the Christianized holiday of Candlemas, otherwise known as St. Brigid Day. Candlemas celebrates the day when Mary first revealed the infant Jesus to the community at large. This presentation marked the last night of the ritual purification of Mother Mary. For 40 days and 40 nights, she raised her infant son, leading up to February 2nd at sundown when the village gathered in a procession, each carrying a candle to light her way to the church. This day celebrates the return of light not only in a physical sense but also the light in our spirits.

GROUNDHOG’S DAY

In modern times, Groundhog’s Day is the most widely known holiday celebrated on February 2nd. Historically, this day is traced back to Germanic mythology, where it was believed that Badgers were intuitive forecasters, as they would look to these animal guides to inform their planting season for the year ahead. Because many German communities settled in the continental United States, this practice was adopted with groundhogs, who were more local to the lands. The question nowadays is this: does the groundhog see his shadow? If he does, we can expect six more weeks of winter; if he doesn’t, Spring will come sooner than we thought!

I feel my inner fire heating up already, don’t you? There is a wealth of information to explore the seeds of this special time of year. I encourage you to celebrate this time with your own special rituals and practices. You can draw from any of the holidays here, or start your own tradition!

May your heart be warm and your spirit bright,
Athena