CANDLEMAS: The Light Returns

It seems quite impossible that the holiday of Candlemas should be considered

the beginning of Spring. Here in the Heartland, February 2nd may see a

blanket of snow mantling the Mother. Or, if the snows have gone, you may be sure

the days are filled with drizzle, slush, and steel-grey skies -- the dreariest

weather of the year. In short, the perfect time for a Pagan Festival of

Lights. And as for Spring, although this may seem a tenuous beginning, all the

little buds, flowers and leaves will have arrived on schedule before Spring

runs its course to Beltane.



'Candlemas' is the Christianized name for the holiday, of course. The older

Pagan names were Imbolc and Oimelc. 'Imbolc' means, literally, 'in the belly'

(of the Mother). For in the womb of Mother Earth, hidden from our mundane

sight but sensed by a keener vision, there are stirrings. The seed that was

planted in her womb at the solstice is quickening and the new year grows.

'Oimelc' means 'milk of ewes', for it is also lambing season.

The holiday is also called 'Brigit's Day', in honor of the great Irish

Goddess Brigit. At her shrine, the ancient Irish capitol of Kildare, a group of 19

priestesses (no men allowed) kept a perpetual flame burning in her honor.

She was considered a goddess of fire, patroness of smithcraft, poetry and

healing (especially the healing touch of midwifery). This tripartite symbolism

was occasionally expressed by saying that Brigit had two sisters, also named

Brigit. (Incidentally, another form of the name Brigit is Bride, and it is thus

She bestows her special patronage on any woman about to be married or

handfasted, the woman being called 'bride' in her honor.)



The Roman Catholic Church could not very easily call the Great Goddess of

Ireland a demon, so they canonized her instead. Henceforth, she would be 'Saint'

Brigit, patron saint of smithcraft, poetry, and healing. They 'explained'

this by telling the Irish peasants that Brigit was 'really' an early Christian

missionary sent to the Emerald Isle, and that the miracles she performed

there 'misled' the common people into believing that she was a goddess. For some

reason, the Irish swallowed this. (There is no limit to what the Irish

imagination can convince itself of. For example, they also came to believe that

Brigit was the 'foster-mother' of Jesus, giving no thought to the

implausibility of Jesus having spent his boyhood in Ireland!)

Brigit's holiday was chiefly marked by the kindling of sacred fires, since

she symbolized the fire of birth and healing, the fire of the forge, and the

fire of poetic inspiration. Bonfires were lighted on the beacon tors, and

chandlers celebrated their special holiday. The Roman Church was quick to

confiscate this symbolism as well, using 'Candlemas' as the day to bless all the

church candles that would be used for the coming liturgical year. (Catholics

will be reminded that the following day, St. Blaise's Day, is remembered for

using the newly-blessed candles to bless the throats of parishioners, keeping

them from colds, flu, sore throats, etc.)



The Catholic Church, never one to refrain from piling holiday upon holiday,

also called it the Feast of the Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary. (It

is surprising how many of the old Pagan holidays were converted to Maryan

Feasts.) The symbol of the Purification may seem a little obscure to modern

readers, but it has to do with the old custom of 'churching women'. It was

believed that women were impure for six weeks after giving birth. And since Mary

gave birth at the winter solstice, she wouldn't be purified until February

2nd. In Pagan symbolism, this might be re-translated as when the Great Mother

once again becomes the Young Maiden Goddess.



Today, this holiday is chiefly connected to weather lore. Even our American

folk-calendar keeps the tradition of 'Groundhog's Day', a day to predict the

coming weather, telling us that if the Groundhog sees his shadow, there will

be 'six more weeks' of bad weather (i.e., until the next old holiday, Lady

Day). (*By the way - he saw his shadow again this year).  This custom is ancient. An old British rhyme tells us that 'If Candlemas

Day be bright and clear, there'll be two winters in the year.' Actually, all

of the cross-quarter days can be used as 'inverse' weather predictors,

whereas the quarter-days are used as 'direct' weather predictors.

Like the other High Holidays or Great Sabbats of the Witches' year,

Candlemas is sometimes celebrated on it's alternate date, astrologically determined by the sun's reaching 15-degrees Aquarius, or Candlemas Old Style.



Incidentally, some modern Pagan groups have recently begun calling the holiday itself

'Brigit', presumably as a shorthand for 'Brigit's Day'. This lexical laziness

is lamentable since it confuses a deity-name for the proper name of the

holiday. The same disconcerting trend can be seen in the recent practice of

referring to the autumnal equinox as 'Mabon', which is more properly the name of a

Welsh god-form. Another holiday that gets mixed up in this is Valentine's

Day. Ozark folklorist Vance Randolf makes this quite clear by noting that the

old-timers used to celebrate Groundhog's Day on February 14th. This same

displacement is evident in Eastern Orthodox Christianity as well. Their habit of

celebrating the birth of Jesus on January 6th, with a similar post-dated shift

in the six-week period that follows it, puts the Feast of the Purification of

Mary on February 14th. It is amazing to think that the same confusion and

lateral displacement of one of the old folk holidays can be seen from the

Russian steppes to the Ozark hills, but such seems to be the case!

Incidentally, there is speculation among linguistic scholars that the vary

name of 'Valentine' has Pagan origins. It seems that it was customary for

French peasants of the Middle Ages to pronounce a 'g' as a 'v'. Consequently,

the original term may have been the French 'galantine', which yields the English

word 'gallant'. The word originally refers to a dashing young man known for

his 'affaires d'amour', a true galaunt. The usual associations of

V(G)alantine' s Day make much more sense in this light than their vague connection to a legendary 'St. Valentine' can produce. Indeed, the Church has always found

it rather difficult to explain this nebulous saint's connection to the secular

pleasures of flirtation and courtly love.



For modern Witches, Candlemas O.S. may then be seen as the Pagan version of

Valentine's Day, with a de-emphasis of 'hearts and flowers' and an

appropriate re-emphasis of Pagan carnal frivolity. This also re-aligns the holiday with the ancient Roman Lupercalia, a fertility festival held at this time, in

which the priests of Pan ran through the streets of Rome whacking young women

with goatskin thongs to make them fertile. The women seemed to enjoy the

attention and often stripped in order to afford better targets.



One of the nicest folk-customs still practiced in many countries, and

especially by Witches in the British Isles and parts of the U.S., is to place a

lighted candle in each and every window of the house (or at least the windows

that faced the street), beginning at sundown on Candlemas Eve (February 1st),

allowing them to continue burning until sunrise. Make sure that such candles

are well seated against tipping and guarded from nearby curtains, etc. What a

cheery sight it is on this cold, bleak and dreary night to see house after

house with candle-lit windows! And, of course, if you are your Coven's

chandler, or if you just happen to like making candles, Candlemas Day is the day for

doing it. Some Covens hold candle-making parties and try to make and bless

all the candles they'll be using for the whole year on this day.



Other customs of the holiday include weaving 'Brigit's crosses' from straw

or wheat to hang around the house for protection, performing rites of

spiritual cleansing and purification, making 'Brigit's beds' to ensure fertility of

mind and spirit (and body, if desired), and making Crowns of Light (i.e. of

candles) for the High Priestess to wear for the Candlemas Circle, similar to

those worn on St. Lucy's Day in Scandinavian countries. All in all, this Pagan

Festival of Lights, sacred to the young Maiden Goddess, is one of the most

beautiful and poetic of the year.

by Mike Nichols

All things Imbolc

Imbolc is a festival of preparing for renewal and growth. It’s symbolic of fertility and ridding of the old, making way for the new. Farm animals have given birth or will have their babies soon. This is the midpoint of the dark part of the year. It is the festival of the Maiden Brighid. Her snake emerges to test the weather, the basis for Groundhog Day. In many places, crocus flowers bloom, a sign of spring to come.




The celebration is also called the Feast of Lights, Feast of Torches, Feast of the Virgin, Feast of the Waxing Light, Festival of the Ewe’s Milk, Festival of Lights, Imbolgc Brigantia, Lupercus, Candlelaria, Snowdrop Festival, Greater Sabbat and Solar Festival.



Imbolc Traditions

Straw Brideo'gas (corn dollies), are created from oat or wheat and rest in baskets with white flower bedding. Girls carry them from house to house where gifts are bestowed upon the dollies.



Afterwards, older women make acorn wands for the Brideo’gas. Brighid's Crosses are created from wheat stalks and exchanged as symbols of protection and prosperity. Hearth fires are put out and re-lit. Besoms (brooms), are placed by front doors to symbolize sweeping out the old and welcoming the new. Lit candles are placed in each room to honor the re-birth of the Sun.



The plough is a traditional symbol of Imbolc. In areas where this is the first day of ploughing, a decorated plough is pulled from home to home. Costumed children follow, asking for refreshments or money. If they are refused, the house’s front garden is ploughed over. In other places, ploughs are decorated and whiskey is poured over them. Cheese and bread are left by the tools as offerings to nature spirits.





Imbolc Activities

It’s a time to hike in nature to find signs of the impending arrival of spring, perhaps a crocus or a robin. Priapic wands, symbols of fertility, are made from sticks, acorns, small bells and gold, yellow, green and brown ribbons or yarn. Bride's beds and Brideo’gas are created and ploughs, decorated. There’s feasting, candle lighting and bonfires aflame.



Of Things Imbolc

Symbols: white flowers, snowflakes, besoms, candle wheels, Brighid crosses, Priapic wands, Brideo’gas and ploughs.

Colors: white, light green, yellow, brown, pink, red.

Crystals: ruby, garnet, amethyst, bloodstone, turquoise and onyx.

Flowers: violets, wisteria, heather, iris and white and yellow flowers.

Herbs and incense: Bay leaves, angelica, cinnamon, basil, celandine, myrrh, coltsfoot, laurel, vanilla, blackberry and tansy.

Food and drink: all dairy products, breads, cakes, scones, muffins, raisins, pumpkin and sunflower seeds, greens, bell peppers, onions, garlic, herbal teas, ale, mead and spiced wines.

Groundhog Day

Brighid’s snake appeared on Imbolc to test the weather. Over the years, the snake became a hedgehog or a badger. It was the immigrants from the Palatinate region of Europe, known as the Pennsylvania Dutch, who brought the custom of Groundhog Day to America. Hedgehogs aren’t native to America and badgers are very aggressive. Groundhogs, also called woodchucks, were plentiful, so they substituted for hedgehogs.



The town of Punxsutawney Pennsylvania has celebrated the day since the 1800s. Phil, its groundhog, is probably the most famous of the predictors. On February 2, he emerges from his burrow. The question in onlookers’ minds is whether or not he’ll see his shadow. If he does, winter will last for another six weeks.



Sources:



Buckland’s Complete Book of Witchcraft, Raymond Buckland, (Llewellyn Publications, 1990)



Cunningham’s Encyclopedia of Crystal, Gem & Metal Magic, Scott Cunningham, (llewellyn Publications, 1989)

What is Imbolc?

The name Imbolc probably means "in the belly" in Gaelic. This sabbat

celebrates the first evidence of the return of life. The Sun is slowly starting to

make its return and the very hardiest of plants will begin to grow again from

this day forth.



Imbolc is also the holy day of Brigid, who is the Goddess of fire, healing,

fertility and is the muse of the poets. It is a fire celebration, but the

emphasis is mainly on the light aspect of the fire and not so much the warmth.

It is seen as light piercing the dark (the slow return of the sun).



Celebrations during this sabbat are some of the most beautiful. They tend to

include a large amount of candles in addition to the bonfire. There is

typically many poems and stories told, in addition to music and art. Many tend to make St. Brigid crosses at this holiday. The crosses tend to be made from straw

and usually are of the Celtic variety with 4 equal-length arms.



In the Christian Calendar, this holiday is called Candlemas and all church

candles are blessed for the year.



This is traditionally a time of purification- - clean your house! If you

have any Christmas greenery lingering, burn it now.



Make your own Brighid's crosses and hang them up, especially in the kitchen

where her influence can bless your food.



Put out food-- cake, buttered bread and milk will do--outside your door:

Brighid and her cow walk through the neighborhood tonight, and will appreciate

your offering.



Leave a silk ribbon on your doorstep for Brighid to bless: It can then be

used for healing purposes.



Meditate upon what you would like to see grow in health and strength this

year: for yourself, your family, your community, the Earth, and ask for Bride's

blessing upon your prayers.



Source Unknown