Celebrating Imbolc
Updated: Mar 13
Imbolc falls on February 1st every year. Whether you celebrate it on the eve or the February 1st may depend on your personal preference or your religious affiliations. Many Wiccan folks use this calendar as a template for their regular spiritual practices. These practices are sometimes referred to as Sabbats. Imbolc heralds the beginning of Spring. This promise of budding green can bring delights to gardeners and earth-lovers alike.
The Celtic Calendar or the wheel of the year is celebrated by earth-based spirituality practitioners, Wiccans and other pagans. It is eight holidays that occur every six weeks. There are conversations about when the calendar begins. Since this calendar is a circle or better said a spiral then there is no obvious start or end. Many folks feel as though Imbolc can be the beginning of the wheel, since it can coincide with the first full Moon of the year. The Celtic Calendar holidays are Imbolc, Spring Equinox, Beltaine, Summer Solstice, Lammas, Fall Equinox, Samhain and Winter Solstice. Some of these holidays have multiple names, which can be influenced by their cultural origin. There are many ways to engage with the wheel of the year.
Inbolc is a static holiday as it is always celebrated on Feb 1st, although people use the astrological date but the vast majority do not use this system. The reason that someone might use the astrological date is becasue this is the precise time when we are midway between Winter Solstice and Spring Equinox. This year (2023) astrological Imbolc is on Feb 5th. This is calculated as the sun at 15 degrees Aquarius. I like ot encourage people to celebrate when it works best for them. Experiencing this holiday is the most important task. Sometimes we get caught up in perfection and it gets in the way of actually living with the seasons in a mindful way. So if its more convenient for you to celebrate on the weekend after Imbolc- go for it!
Here are few things to consider as you are creating your Imbolc celebrations. This list is not exhaustive but a list of suggestions and a starting place for your own creativity.
Energy of the season- Reawakening, emerging green, rebirth, promise of Spring
Colors- white, green and rose
Crystal- citrine, green tourmaline, rose quartz, ruby, garnet, hematite.
Herbs-chamomile, rose hips, Sage, honey
Crafts- Brigid’s Cross, Fire Starter, Dough Candle holders, Seed catalogue prep, Seed starts, if it is appropriate for your climate.
