A piece by Tony Bates in the Irish Times last Christmas found its way to the top of the pile of papers that live on my desk this morning. And on re-reading it I was thinking again about festivals, celebrations, rituals and rites and the different ways in which humankind has marked these over the millennia. Tony Bates was writing about Christmas and the depths of winter , linking that to Newgrange and what that symbolised for those of our ancient ancestors who created it. Tony Bates article
Here in Ireland – in common with much of the Celtic world – we have (or had) four seasonal celebrations – or maybe observations is a better way to describe them – where the changing of the seasons was marked by certain rituals and practices. Collectively these were known as the cross-quarter days. Some of them are still fairly well known, albeit under different guises, and some of them have been largely subsumed by Christian feastdays and holy days.
The four cross-quarter days are Imbolc, Bealtaine, Lughnasa and Samhain. These occur on the first days of February, May, August and November respectively. The more alert among you will have spotted that 1st Feb is better known now as St. Brigid’s Day and that 1st Nov is All Souls Day – allied to Hallowe’en the day before (31st Oct if anyone’s trying to keep up). Imbolc is probably the least well-known of these festivals amongst the wider public. Bealtaine falling as it does on May Day still resonates with a lot of people and Lughnasa is well known under a variety of names, Garland Sunday, Garlic Sunday… and of course Brian Friel’s play introduced Lughnasa to a whole new audience. Samhain is so intertwined with Hallowe’en that it has never been forgotten.
Imbolc in Irish tradition heralds the arrival of Spring (as Bealtaine welcomes in Summer, Lughnasa is the beginning of Autumn and Samhain is the first day of Winter). So what happens at Imbolc? Well thats kind of hard to say partly because a lot of the old traditions and practices have been lost and other ones have taken their place. Many of you will have seen or even made Brigid’s Crosses (and if anyone wants to learn there’s a good video here ) for example. But also, there are as many different ways of celebrating a festival as there are people!
Imbolc is seen traditionally as the start of the farming season, for many it has a special link to dairying and sheep. As the beginning of spring it is associated with new life, new growth, new beginnings….
Its Imbolc today and the sun is shining, bulbs are beginning to emerge from the cold darkness of winter, and there is a feeling of resurgence. Whatever way you choose to mark the feast of Imbolc, whether by working in the garden and encouraging the new life to come through, or by taking some time to think about new beginnings in your own life, or by just enjoying the arrival of Spring, you are taking part in an ancient observation. Rituals and celebrations may change in content and style over the years but the survival of the festival is in itself a reason to celebrate!
If you want to see what we are planning to do this weekend to celebrate Imbolc, just look here
