There’s no way to know exactly how many Spring’s have come and gone. We won’t revisit last year. Spring 2020 wasn’t great but I don’t need to tell you that, you were there.

The start of Spring is celebrated through a variety of festivals from various cultures. I’m going to delve into the Celtic celebration of Imbolc. The name comes from the Gaelic word ‘Oimelc’ which translates to ‘ewes milk’. I don’t know how that’s relevant, but it’s true. It’s one of the seven seasonal celebrations of the Celtic calendar and this year it takes place from the evening of Monday 1st February to the evening of Tuesday 2nd February.

Like every Celtic festival it has a lot of names, most of which are difficult to pronounce such as ‘Laa’l Breeshey’ and ‘Lá Fhéile Bríde’. I’ll help you out here with the English variant: ‘Brigid’s day’.

Brigid is a mysterious character. The first mention of her as a Celtic goddess was in a glossary called ‘Sanas Cormaic’ written by 10th century scholar, Cormac Mac Cuilennáin. He called her the ‘female seer, or woman of insight’. Her exact origins are unknown as deities of similar names existed throughout Ireland and the British Isles.

When Christianity arrived in England in 1st century AD, there evolved a woman of the same name said to be one of Ireland’s patron saints. St Brigid’s feast day is also celebrated on 1st February. Coincidence?

As Brigid was a female deity, she inevitably came to symbolise fertility. An early pregnancy can be compared to spiring flower buds and plant spouts before they bloom.

There are three main traditions associated with Imbolc. Weaving rushes into dolls and crosses (sometimes with three arms) was popular and many continue this craft to this day. If someone was unwell, they would spend Imbolc walking clockwise around a water well whilst praying for health.

The Celts were superstitious and believed that if the weather on Imbolc was good and sunny it meant winter would continue, but if there were rain clouds or storms then they were going to have a beautiful Spring.

Ultimately, Imbolc is about turning our backs on the cold, harsh winter weather and embracing the brightness of Spring. I urge you to release negativity and follow in the footsteps of our Celtic ancestors by making space in your heart for new life and new beginnings.

Last Spring - Imbolc, was written to be an uplifting, infomational article for my portfolio.

Musing for Meaning by Deborah Rose Green, 29/01/2021