Imbolc means “in milk,” and refers to the lactation of livestock in preparation for the birth of new babies in the spring. Imbolc is celebrated on February 2, in the midst of one of the coldest months of winter. All the same, it is a celebration of the coming of the light and the promise of new life to come. The “darkest part” is over, and the weather will only become brighter and warmer. Although it may not seem so, winter is ended and spring has begun.

Imbolc was sacred to the goddess Brighid, mother goddess of the Celts. Brighid was goddess of fire, thresholds, and transformation, and so mother and protector of crops, pregnancy, and sexuality. Brighid was the patron of the arts, especially poetry and metalworking. The festival of Imbolc was a festival of lights, celebrated as an encouragement of the sun to ensure fertility in the coming season. Brighid was the daughter of In Dagda, the “Good God.” She was wife to the giant Bres, and mother of Ruadan (“Red-Haired”).

As with the other great festivals, Imbolc was a time to rekindle sacred fires, especially those of the hearth and the forge. The Church was as eager to embrace this as it was the other ancient festivals, and the day was christened “Candelmas,” where it was literally a mass in honor of the lights of the church. The old wax and partially burned candles would be removed from the church, and new candles would be blessed and set in place. Overall, it was definitely a good time of year to be a candle maker.

Brighid

As discussed, the great goddess Brighid, through her absorption into the Irish church, became St. Brigid of Kildare, by legend a powerful abbess whose miracles not so coincidentally coincide with the powers of the goddess whose name she bears. St. Brigid was extraordinarily important to the Irish; she was counted in Irish legend as the foster mother of Christ and is seldom left out of any Irish prayer. She has a special affinity for fire, and is often invoked in prayer as a charm against house fires. The saint's miracles likewise correspond with the powers of the goddess — she is the patron saint of poets, blacksmiths, newborns, and herdsmen. St. Brigid's feast day is celebrated, not surprisingly, on February 1, the feast of Candlemas, where the bride's doll and the fire wheels are still constructed in her honor.

A traditional custom of Imbolc was the creation of corn dollies, effigies created with leftover grain saved from the previous year's harvest. The dolls would be dressed in finery and often paraded in procession about the village. The dolls represented the resurrection of the crops, as well as the return of the goddess from winter sleep. After her procession, she would be placed in a representative marriage bed to encourage the return of her mate, the sun god. This custom continued well after the mantle had been passed from pagan goddess to saint.

Other customs of the feast of Brighid included the fashioning of sun wheels, or bride's crosses of straw, which were hung over thresholds. These were considered especially protective against fire and lightning. Grains from the sheaves used to fashion Brighid's dolls and crosses were blessed and saved; these would be added to next year's seed, with an invocation to Brighid to protect the crops.

Because Brighid was believed to roam the countryside on her night, it was also customary to leave cakes and a bit of ale outside the gates for her. A linen cloth might also be left draped over a hedge, in imitation of the saint's cloak; this she would bless as she passed by, and the cloth would be protection against all manner of disease, especially in livestock.