Other
names this holiday is called: Imbolc.
Oimelic, Brigid's/Brigit's Day
Magick
associated with Imbolc: artistic endeavor,
candle magick, cleansing, clearing, creation,
creativity, dawn, dedication, fertility, growth,
healing, hope, initiation, innocence, innovation,
joy, knowledge, learning, new beginnings, physical
desire, protection, purity, songs, and spirituality.
Altar
decorations: besom, Brigid’s cross,
candles, cauldron, crescent moon symbols, grain or
corn dolls, lamps, paper snowflakes, plow, snowdrops,
sprig of evergreen, sword, symbols of deer or lambs,
white things, winter bulbs, and yellow flowers.
Colours:
brown, light blue, light green, pale green, pink,
red, yellow, and white.
Foods:
cake, cream soups, dairy products, garlic, goat
cheese, herbal tea, honey, mushrooms, pancakes,
raisins, seeds, spicy food and wines, white fish,
white meat dishes.
Herbs
/ Incense / Oils : angelica, apricot, basil,
bay, carnation, celandine, cinnamon, clover,
coltsfoot, dill, evergreen, frankincense, heather,
iris, jasmine, myrrh, neroli, olive, pear, rosemary,
snowdrop, tansy, vanilla, violet, willow, wisteria.
Stones
: amethyst, bloodstone, garnet, onyx, and
turquoise.
HISTORY
OF CANDLEMAS
'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.
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.
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.
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.
For modern Witches, Candlemas 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.
