February is here
And it's a good thing there are some holidays. February is such a hard month, that's why it's short
Of course there are a few very well know ones to celebrate such as, Groundhog's Day, Valentines Day, and Presidents' Day--but somehow none of them really seem to inspire me.
My favorite though is the Pagan one called Imbolc. Although not formally a pagan, I really love the concept of celebrating and acknowledging nature with a ritual and feast.
So...Happy Imbolc!
Imbolc is an ancient festival, Celtic in origin, and considered one of the greater Wiccan sabbats. It is celebrated on the night of February 1st in the northern hemisphere.
The primary purpose of Imbolc is to celebrate Spring's impending replacement of Winter. In this sense, Imbolc may be seen as a spiritual alternative to the secular celebration of New Year's Eve.
At New Year's Eve, we often see the image of old, bearded Father Time replaced with a young baby. Father Time represents the old, outgoing year, and the baby celebrates the year just born. At Imbolc, we have similar imagery; an old crone represents the outgoing year, and turns things over to a young maiden.
Fertility, of course, plays a part here. The frozen earth is incapable of growing things, just as the old crone has grown incapable of producing offspring. This barrenness is replaced by the warm return of Spring, making the earth once again fertile, symbolized by the fertile young maiden.
Image and info from:
http://www.worldspirituality.org/imbolc.html
Of course there are a few very well know ones to celebrate such as, Groundhog's Day, Valentines Day, and Presidents' Day--but somehow none of them really seem to inspire me.
My favorite though is the Pagan one called Imbolc. Although not formally a pagan, I really love the concept of celebrating and acknowledging nature with a ritual and feast.
So...Happy Imbolc!
Imbolc is an ancient festival, Celtic in origin, and considered one of the greater Wiccan sabbats. It is celebrated on the night of February 1st in the northern hemisphere.
The primary purpose of Imbolc is to celebrate Spring's impending replacement of Winter. In this sense, Imbolc may be seen as a spiritual alternative to the secular celebration of New Year's Eve.
At New Year's Eve, we often see the image of old, bearded Father Time replaced with a young baby. Father Time represents the old, outgoing year, and the baby celebrates the year just born. At Imbolc, we have similar imagery; an old crone represents the outgoing year, and turns things over to a young maiden.
Fertility, of course, plays a part here. The frozen earth is incapable of growing things, just as the old crone has grown incapable of producing offspring. This barrenness is replaced by the warm return of Spring, making the earth once again fertile, symbolized by the fertile young maiden.
Image and info from:
http://www.worldspirituality.org/imbolc.html