IMBOLC

Imbolc, a Cross Quarter Day, marks the midpoint between the Winter Solstice & Spring Equinox which this year falls on 4th February.

Imbolc means “in the belly”. This refers to the pregnant ewes who are about to birth their lambs, but can also refer to the Goddess, as in “in the belly of the Mother”, for in the womb of Mother Earth.

Imbolc is the time of Mother Nature's awakening from winter sleep, the Wheel of the year begins to move towards warmth & renewal, life awakens. Imbolc is a fire festival. When the fires of Samhain are considered funerary, Beltane fire is the flame of passion, Yule lanterns symbolize the light of hope, then Imbolc candles give purification & rebirth.

In Irish Mythology, the Goddess Brigid was central in the celebration of Imbolc & was the Goddess of fertility, creativity, love, poetry, smithcraft, patroness of inspiration & midwifery. As a healing goddess she was believed to be present to watch over the birth of every child. During the Imbolc festival, a Sun symbol is used as an emblem of Brigid’s protective & healing powers. Goddess Brigid is strongly associated with fire & is regarded as a guardian of the home & the hearth. She prevents disasters from ruining fields, homes & animals. Goddess Brigid is the daughter of the Dagda, the chief god of the Tuatha Dé Danann, supernatural tribe in Ireland.

Raven & Falcon are associated with Goddess Brigid & the Imbolc festival. These birds represent an end of winter & the coming of spring. Raven builds its nest during the Imbolc festival, signifying new life & fertility.

In modern practices, this day is also considered the feast day of St. Brigid, who is very likely the euhemerization of an early female deity associated with fertility, cattle & Imbolc festivals. Saint Brigid's feast day is on 1 February. The best known modern Brigid's tradition is the making & giving of Brigid's crosses. This tradition is based on a legend about St. Brigid which tells us that she converted a dying Pagan. To explain the new faith to him, she improvised making a cross from Rushes which was all that was available to her in the location.

Goddess Brigid & St. Brigid are both associated with wands made of White Birch or Willow.

Imbolc was a festival of girls. 

The girls of the village would make a “Bride doll” out of straw, symbolizing the Goddess Brighid or Bride, out of the last sheaf of the previous year’s grain harvest, which they would carry from house to house. 

In this way they brought the blessings of Bride & of the fertility of the last year’s harvest, to every home. 

The girls collected cakes, bread & butter as they went.
When they were done they would put the doll into a bed of Rushes by a hearth. A stick of Birch called a “slachdan” was placed in the bride doll’s hands. 

Brighid or Bride was the summer face of the Winter Hag or Cailleach, She who controls the weather. The wand symbolized her magical ability to influence storms & climate.
The girls would dance & sing until dawn & in the morning the ashes of the hearth were examined to see if Bride had left her footprint. If no footprint was found, an offering had to be made at a place where 3 streams met, for luck.

Perform the ritual act of purification- spring cleaning. This is a good time to do a thorough house cleaning, sweeping the floors with salt water.
If you happen to have a fireplace, it especially should be cleaned very well.
As a part of the magical purification of the house a Birch branch should be used to symbolically sweep the floors. Birch has long been used for rites of purification & new beginnings.
All of this work should be completed prior to the eve of Imbolc, when a small dish of butter should be placed on a windowsill & a fresh fire kindled in the hearth or a candle lit in honor of Brigit.

Imbolc is one of the eight strongest Days of Power for performing various rituals & creating, purifying & recharging your amulets & talismans. Very powerful time, especially we have also Full Moon on 5.February. Don't forget to charge your crystals!

Since this is a time of new beginnings, this is a good day to ritually celebrate all things new. 

Plan a ceremony to name a new baby, officially welcome a new person into your family or home, take on a new name or make a commitment to a goal.

To celebrate new ideas & resolutions, which are taking root; seeds perhaps Sesame or Pumpkin, also come to the table & early spring flowers & any buds are brought into the home.

The main symbol for the Imbolc festival is milk. Milk is poured on fertile land, in reservoirs, also sprayed on the bed & thresholds in the house. Pour yourself a cup of milk or have a coffee with cream. Food like cream cheese, cream & yogurt are brought to the table, acknowledging the lactation of pregnant animals.
Traditional foods are pancakes, cakes & all grain-based foods. Pancakes are considered symbols of the Sun.
Honey celebrating Brigit’s protector role to beekeepers also makes an appearance.
Dandelion salad, an herb sacred to Brigid, makes a tasty & healthy early spring dish.
Blackberry & blackberry pies, jams, jellies & wines can be eaten in honor of Brigid.
Coltsfoot is a herb associated with Brigid.
Dried fruits, seeds & nuts, hot drinks, milk & tea.
Ginger revitalizes & stimulates the fire within, helps alignment with the rise of Kundalini serpent energy. Mulled wine, spiced wines & herbal teas are also allowed.
Snowdrops, Rowan, Heather, Basil, Angelica, Celandine, Iris, Myrrh, Tansy & Violet are most commonly associated with Goddess Brigid.

WEATHER OMENS were taken; good weather at Imbolc meant winter would continue, but if a snake or hedgehog was seen to emerge from its hole that meant that winter was on the wane. 

Rain at Imbolc meant a good summer growing season was ahead.
If the day was sunny & fair, more winter weather was to come, but if a lark was heard singing, that was a sign of an early spring. 

RECIPES:

Bailey’s Irish Cream Truffles:

60 ml Bailey’s Irish Cream liqueur
1 tbsp butter
350 g chocolate pieces
2 egg yolks
60 ml heavy cream
dusting sugar or cocoa
Melt chocolate, Bailey’s & cream together over very low heat. 

Whisk in yolks, one at a time,mixture will thicken. 

Whisk in butter. 

Refrigerate several hours or overnight until firm. 

Make small balls with a teaspoon. 

Roll in powdered sugar or cocoa.

Spiced Wine:

1 cup water
2 cups pineapple juice
1 cup orange juice
1/4 cup honey
9 whole cloves
3 cinnamon sticks
Pinch of sea salt 

1 bottle of red wine
Add all ingredients to a crock pot & heat on high for 2 hours, stirring once or twice.
Turn crock pot to low, remove lid & wait for juice mixture to come to below 180 degrees.
Add a bottle of red wine & allow to warm up.

Chocolate & Blackberry Tray Cake:

2 bananas

2 dl sugar

1,5- 2 dl blackberries

100-150 g chocolate,chopped

4- 4,5 dl flour

2 tsp baking powder

1 tbsp cinnamon

1 dl melted butter

1 egg

juice of half lemon

1 lemon, grated rind

1 orange, grated rind

Mash the bananas & whisk with sugar, lemon juice & rind of lemon & orange.

Mix together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon & chopped chocolate.

Add the banana mix, egg & melted butter.

Gently mix in the blackberries & zest of lemon & orange.

Butter the 25x 35cm baking tray. Line with baking paper.

Preheat the oven 200C.

Bake the cake ca 50 min, or until its ready..

Cool.

Can be covered with icing:

170 g soft cheese

1 dl icing sugar

2 tbsp lemon juice

Honey Biscuits:

1 eggs
1 dl sugar
pinch of salt
75 g butter
4 dl flour
1 tsp baking powder
2 tbsp honey
0,5 tsp cinnamon
0,5 tsp allspice
pinch of grated nutmeg
demerara sugar for topping
Whisk eggs with salt & sugar. Melt the butter, mix in the honey until well combined. Add spices. Pour it gently into the whisked egg.
Mix flour with baking powder & add to the mixture.
Chill for 30 min.
Make little balls, place onto the prepared baking trays. Press them down with back of the folk. Sprinkle over some demerara sugar.
Bake in the preheated oven at 200C for 15 min.

Pear & Blackberry Crumbles:

4 pears, core & cut into ca 1 cm cubes
100 g sugar
250 g blackberries
1 lemon, juice
Topping:
200 g flour
100 g butter
100 g almond flakes
100 g sugar
1 lemon,rind, grated
1 orange rind, grated
Preheat the oven 200C .
Place the pears & blackberries into the buttered small ramekins or 1 large baking dish.
Sprinkle with lemon juice & scatter sugar all over.
Bake in the oven for 15-20 min.
Rub together the flour, sugar & butter using your fingertips until resembles breadcrumbs. Mix in the almond flakes.
Spoon the crumble over the fruit.
Bake for 20-25 min for ramekins or 40 min for big dish,until nice golden on top.
Serve hot with vanilla ice cream.