How to Celebrate Imbolc
The pagan holiday of Imbolc is full of celebrations and practices that embody its core themes of light, purification, and renewal—and with the Celtic goddess Brigid.
(When she's not the pagan goddess Brigid, she's also known as St. Brigid, the patron saint of Ireland and Irish nuns in the Catholic church.)
One of the cross quarter days on the Wheel of the Year, Imbolc is celebrated in early February in the northern hemisphere (early August in the southern hemisphere), the halfway point between the winter solstice and the spring equinox. That’s near Groundhog Day, if you’re in the U.S.
Imbolc rituals and customs are rich and varied, involving several practices that aim to welcome back the life-affirming energy of the sun. Many come from Celtic tradition, but often modern day pagans focus on the spirit behind the tradition rather than necessarily copying the exact things that might have happened in ancient Ireland and Scotland.
Here’s how to clean your house, make a Brigid’s Cross, feast appropriately, divine the future, and plan and set your goals—just a few of the best Imbolc customs.
Set the Early Spring Mood for Imbolc Celebrations
In some ways, Imbolc is the ultimate introvert’s holiday. Think about it: We’re inside our home with a cup of tea, away from the cold. It’s time to reflect on the past year and on our lives in general. We’re deciding on what to leave behind because it no longer serves us.
We’re also practicing divination, setting intentions and goals, and planning what we will plant, literally and metaphorically, in the coming spring. This is the journaling and goal-setting holiday!
Let’s get started on our various Imbolc celebrations.
Clean & OrganizE
To prepare for the spring and let go of the past attachments we no longer need, it's time to physically and spiritually clean our spaces. House cleaning rituals are a wonderful way to celebrate Imbolc.
During Imbolc, homes are cleansed thoroughly; old and unused items are cleared out, symbolizing the shedding of winter's past and the preparation for the potential of spring. Fresh candles are lit in each room of the house; the candles' flames represent the return of the light as the days begin to grow longer.
Hearth Magick and the Home
To approach your home care with intention, or even just to get in the spring cleaning mood, check out our book The Hedge Witch's Hearth.
Craft A Brigid’s Cross
The making of Brigid's crosses is a beloved Imbolc custom! A Brigid's cross, or St. Brigid cross, celebrates Brigid, blesses, and protects, acting as a defender against any harm that might befall the house it adorns, or its occupants. It's used to ward off bad fortune and evil spirits. Other pagans make Brigid corn doll crafts in addition or instead.
These crosses are also a lovely way of celebrating Brigid and asking for her protection on Imbolc. Crafted with thoughts of protection and well-being, the making of these crosses is a spiritual practice that calls on the goddess Brigid.
Think of Brigid as you complete the following steps.
1. Lay one reed horizontally on the surface in front of you.
2. Fold a second reed in half and slip it over the first reed. The second reed should point toward you.
3. Fold a third reed in half. Slip it over the second reed, underneath the first reed, pointing to your left.
4. Fold a fourth reed in half. Slip it over the third and first reeds, to the left of the second reed, pointing away from you.
5. Continue adding reeds until you are happy with the cross shape. Then tie the ends with twine.
Feast & hOLD Festivities
People celebrate the goddess Brigid and Imbolc (or Saint Brigid's Day if you are looking to the later Christian holiday) with feasts that feature the season's first fruits and vegetables, honoring the earth's first soft gifts as it wakes up from winter sleep.
Light your Imbolc candles, gather your musical instruments, decorate with white flowers and other early spring signs, and celebrate the returning light with your family, other families you love, other practitioners, and of course your friends.
A Symbolic Menu
The menus at these events are full of foods that are both light and energizing, to match the energy of spring. Anything in a sun color or shape—looking at you, citrus fruits!—is also welcome. Other common ingredients in the recipes are fresh sprouts, dairy products, and seeds, which represent new growth and the earth's vitality.
You might also honor the Imbolc association of baked goods by trying your hand at baking some of the traditionally aligned bannock. (Here's a bannock recipe.)
Imbolc falls near the lambing season, so milk (the milk of new sheep mothers, get it?) is often an ingredient in Imbolc foods. Get out your favorite dairy recipes.
These meals are a lovely tribute to the changing of the seasons, the goddess Brigid, and the sun's return. They are a tasty way to move from heavy, warming foods in the winter weather to lighter, fresher foods that welcome spring. May your families find plenty of good fortune and delicious feasting!
Festive Poetry
The Celtic goddess Brigid traditionally oversaw poetry in ancient times, so if your feasts and festivities involve lively readings of poetry and beautiful songs, so much the better. Bring a light to the dark winter on your feast day!
pRACTICE dIVINATION
If you practice any form of divination, this is a great time to look to the future. The veil between the worlds gets thin during this part of the Wheel of the Year. This slight thinning makes it easier for spiritual forces to flow through us and helps us hear messages from beyond.
So use your tarot cards, runes, or pendulums to connect with this higher level of awareness and get the clarity that comes from being closer to knowledge from other worlds during your Imbolc rituals.
Because of Imbolc's association with water, scrying is a wonderful form of divination to try during this season. Consider making it one of your Imbolc traditions. Enjoy!
Practice Meditation
Imbolc is a great time for any activity that makes you think deeply and go beyond simple awareness. As the days get shorter, more people feel like meditating and focusing on their own thoughts and feelings. The spiritual forces around them can help them in this way. Many people who do these kinds of meditations near Imbolc report intuitive insights, visionary experiences, or feeling more in tune with their better selves.
In addition to your normal meditation practice, if you have one, the Imbolc themes of new beginnings and spring transformation are wonderful opportunities to meditate on your own life and deeply rooted beliefs. You may also enjoy trying a goddess meditation centered on the goddess Brigid.
Here is a guided Imbolc meditation to help you get started.
Plan & SET goals
Imbolc is also a great time to set intentions and goals; the energy of renewal is strong and supports hopes and dreams for the next cycle. When you celebrate Imbolc, you enjoy the happy anticipation of spring while also celebrating the strength that can be found in the quiet of winter.
Now is the time to make plans for the coming spring and coming year, set goals, and dream big. When we align ourselves with the changing of the seasons, we connect with a strong flow of energy that helps us grow and feel better.
So light some candles, grab your journal and planner, and let's have the main event. You don't have to begin every journey today; we are still in the winter planning season. (Tip: The new moon is a wonderful time to begin new habits! The full moon works too.) You will plant seeds starting in the spring and harvest them in the fall, or later, depending on what your goals are.
More on Imbolc
Now that you have your Brigid's Day associations, do you want to explore more about Imbolc? Here are some more Imbolc ideas and resources:
About Imbolc: The winter holiday between the winter solstice and the spring equinox
Brigid and Imbolc: The Goddess Brigid, goddess of healing, smiths, and poets—and Imbolc
Imbolc Journal Prompts: Journal prompts relevant to Brigid, Imbolc, the magic of the dark winter season, and the blessings in your life
Imbolc Meditation: An Imbolc meditation to help you honor Brigid and your spring journey ahead
Imbolc Associations: The symbols that connect with this holy season and celebration
The Imbolc Companion: Spells, meditations, Imbolc reflection pages, and more
Happy Imbolc!