Wiccan Word of the Week (WWW: Imbolc aka Brigid or Brigid's Day)

Imbolc is observed on February 2nd. Imbolc is the early spring sabbat which honors the virgin goddess as the young bride of the returning sun god.

Wiki states it as: Imbolc is one of the four principal festivals of the Celtic calendar, celebrated among Gaelic peoples and some other Celtic cultures, either at the beginning of February or at the first local signs of Spring. Most commonly it is celebrated on February 1, which falls halfway between the Winter Solstice and the Spring Equinox in the northern hemisphere. Originally dedicated to the goddess Brigid, in the Christian period it was adopted as St Brigid's Day. In Scotland the festival is also known as Là Fhèill Brìghde, in Ireland as Lá Fhéile Bríde, and in Wales as Gŵyl y Canhwyllau.

I will be celebrating on Feburary 2nd, which is Tuesday after next. I have looked up some rituals to do. I'm rather excited. I have gathered some ideas from Everything Under The Moon and Stephanie Mae, who is a third generation Wicca/Pagan (or Witch? I'm not quite sure what she calls herself on a personal level...)

Stephanie gave a pretty awesome run down on how her family celebrates:
" Imbolc (also known as Imbolg) is a fire purification festival and a time to worship Brigit. The fires of the candles represents the returning warmth of Spring. Imbolg is actually derived from Oimelc, which means 'ewes milk'. One of Brigit's symbol was the ewe. It is a time to spend with fire, your home, sweet food and divination. Below is a general idea of how my family celebrates Imbolg.

-Red, White & Black Candles; Colors sacred to Brigit.
-We give an offering of fresh Blackberries, which are sacred to Brigit.
-During the day we all make a crown of Elder to wear during ritual. The Elder Tree was sacred to Brigit.
-We celebrate the Ewe's milk and the first Spring flowers.
-We all create a poem to Brigit (no one knows what the other wrote), which we burn in the candle flames during ritual.
-We have basil incense, garnet and onyx all around.
-We eat Lemon Vanilla Curd Cake, Irish Truffles and Barm Brack. All with wine of course, my family drinks entirely too much wine. "

And there you have it. :)

Thank you so much Stephanie!!

I will keep you updated on this Sabbat and please leave comments if you have any questions!

Blessed Be,
SallyD