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Wymiana ognia pomiędzy Rosją a Ukrainą. Ukraińcy uderzają daleko od granicy
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BRIGHID AT IMBOLG by Veronica Smith
The main Festival of Goddess Brighid / Saint Brighid in the Celtic Solar Calendar is IMBOLG. It takes place at the mid-point between Winter Solstice and Spring Equinox and is regarded (in Ireland at least!) as the beginning of Spring.
Original drawing of Goddess Brighid by artist Yuri LeitchIn the Gregorian calendar, Imbolg takes place on the fixed date of 1st February. It is known as “Saint Brighid’s Day” and has recently become a Bank Holiday in Ireland. Saint Brighid and Saint Patrick are the two patron saints of Ireland, although only Saint Brighid is native Irish, Saint Patrick being a Romano-British missionary from Wales.
On 2nd February is the Christian festival of CANDLEMAS, when the church candles are blessed. Is it coincidence that this should happen on the day following that of Saint Brighid, who was renowned for tending a perpetual Flame of Hope?!
That said, the Gregorian calendar is not in sync with our planet’s solar calendar. In 2025, true astronomical Imbolg (the mid-point between Winter Solstice and Spring Equinox) does not take place until 3rd February.
WHAT’S IN A NAME?
Brighid’s festival has several different spellings. It can be “Imbolc” or “Imbolg” or even “Oimelc”. The variations are due to language and cultural differences.
“Bol” means “Belly” in Welsh; whereas “Bolg” means “Belly” in Irish Gaelic. “Oimelc” means “Ewe’s Milk”. All three versions refer to the lambing season. The pregnant ewe (in the belly) gives birth to the spring lambs and provides milk for their young.
Brighid, as both Celtic Goddess and Christian Saint, is the protectress of Sheep and Cattle, which were the main sources of wealth in the Celtic world.
I recently came across another interpretation of the “in the belly” meaning. It is a delightful one! It suggests that Imbolc means “in the belly of the Mother Goddess” because the seeds of Spring are beginning to stir in the womb of Mother Earth!
IMBOLG ASSOCIATIONS WITH BRIGHID
Brighid is particularly associated with white-coloured animals, such as white sheep and white cows with red ears. Milk and its dairy products, such as butter, are part of the Brighidine stories, as well as honey.
The ancient Celtic diet did not include potatoes but was reliant on grain, such as oats. So, if you want to create an Imbolg menu, think of dairy produce and oats, using honey as the sweetener! I always make a festival loaf and any bread recipes (or cookies!) that include oats, are very appropriate.
The chief flower of Imbolg is SNOWDROP. This tiny white flower is a sign of Brighid’s resilience. It appears at a time when few other plants can survive the chill temperatures of a lingering winter.
LEGENDS OF IMBOLG AND BRIGHID
There are many different stories surrounding Brighid as Bringer of Spring. Like the festival name, these stories vary according to regional customs.
One basic theme is that Winter, being represented by the Hag or Cailleach (the Crone aspect of the Triple Goddess) takes captive Brighid or Bride, who is the Spring Maiden.
It is very similar to the ancient Greek story of Persephone, daughter of the Corn Goddess Demeter, being abducted by Hades, Lord of the Underworld. Demeter is so distressed by the disappearance of her daughter that she neglects her duties as fertility goddess and the land becomes barren. The other deities must intervene, negotiating a compromise between Demeter and Hades. For nine months of the year, Persephone can return to her mother, bringing fertility back to the land, but for the last three months, she must return to her husband in the Underworld, when the land becomes barren.
In the Celtic version, it is the Crone of Winter, who abducts the Spring Maiden but the Maiden manages to escape, or is rescued, in time to bring back the Sun and Spring to the land. In another variation, it is Brighid Herself, who changes from Crone to Spring Maiden to Earth Mother and then back to Crone, according to the seasons.
Regardless of which version is followed, it is customary to make great ceremony of “inviting” Brighid into the home at Imbolg. “Brighid has Come! Brighid is welcome! Failte!”
CUSTOMS HONOURING BRIGHID AT IMBOLG
There are so many regional customs about honouring Brighid at Imbolg that it would fill a book – or probably several books! I will only look at a few of them here.
CLEANING THE HOUSE AND HEARTH:
As a Goddess of Fire and Water, Brighid needs to be welcomed into a clean home!
Water cleanses, particularly around doorways and thresholds. Cleaning windows allows in more of that welcome Spring sunshine, to brighten up the house or apartment! Alternatively, you could perform a ceremony to bless a local water-source, even if it is only your own bathroom!
The fire-place (if you have one) should be swept clean. In Ireland, where turf (peat-brickettes) is used on the fire, it is possible to “smoor” the embers; that is to bank down the fire over-night, when it can be revived the next morning. Since coming to France, where wood is used instead of turf, I have not found that possible, If you do not have a fire at all, then cleaning around your cooker is just as symbolic.
MAKING THE SAINT BRIGHID’S CROSS
It is customary, on Imbolg Eve, for the family to gather and make new Saint Brighid’s Crosses, to replace last year’s ones. Traditionally, these distinctive crosses were made from rushes or even straw from last year’s harvest, which is all well and good if you live in a rural place and have access to these materials.
Myself, I use stiff paper to make my St Brighid’s Crosses. The paper ones have the advantage that you can write prayers and intentions on them.
If you don’t have the time (or skill) to make rush or paper crosses, then there are plenty of ready-made permanent versions, made from pottery or metal and also jewellery to wear. Simply cleaning your “hard-copy” version is an act of reverence in itself!
Apart from jewellery, it is customary to hang your St Brighid’s Cross at the front door, to protect the home.
BHRAT
Another popular tradition is to hang outside a piece of cloth on Imbolg Eve, the idea being that Brighid will bless the cloth as She passes by your home. Once the cloth is blessed, then it can be used for healing headaches and injuries, by wrapping the cloth around the afflicted area.
Some use a fresh piece of cloth each year. Others use the same piece of cloth every year. Some hang out shawls, to capture Brighid’s essence, so that the owner can wrap themselves (or the person they are healing) in Brighid’s “embrace”.
The long and the short of it is that the cloth or shawl becomes a sacred object, like a prayer shawl, imbued with Brighid’s healing energy.
DOLLS AND OTHER SYMBOLS
Some folk like to make Bride Dolls (effigies of Brighid), which they place in a toy bed at Imbolg, to signify Brighid’s custom of hospitality. “Brighid is welcome to our house!”
Another custom, which seems particularly popular among Irish emigrants to America, is the weaving of wreaths, made from seasonal foliage. At each of the eight Celtic Solar Festivals, the wreath is changed.
There are lots more customs associated with Brighid at Imbolg but it is not my intention to cover them all in this article.
CONCLUSION
Whatever way you chose to celebrate the festival, Brighid will be happy that you have taken time off from your busy schedules to remember Her. Simply lighting a candle and saying a prayer to Her will be enough to connect with Blessed Brighid. Beannachtai!
Author: Veronica Smith first published on 31st January 2025
RECOMMENDED READING:
CELTIC DEVOTIONAL: Daily prayers and blessings; by Caitlin Matthews. Published by Gill & Macmillan, Ireland, in 2004. ISBN: 0-7171-3746-5
TENDING BRIGID’S FLAME; by Lunaea Weatherstone, published by Llewellyn Worldwide Ltd, USA in 2022. ISBN: 978-0-7387-4089-8
BRIGID: History, Mystery and Magick of the Celtic Goddess; by Courtney Weber; published by Weiser Books USA in 2015.
ISBN: 978-1-57863-567-2VOICES FROM THE GROVE: Beltane 2021-2022: The Call of Brighid, Bright Inspiration; Volume Two of the Ogham Grove Year Wheel Journal & Diary, dedicated to Brighid of the Flame and the Rowan Tree. Edited by Yuri Leitch; printed by Amazon.
ISBN: 9798732277517.#CelticSolarFestivals #goddessBrighid #imbolc #Imbolg #Imelc #OghamGrove #SaintBrigid #StBrigidCross #wheelOfTheYear
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BRIGHID AT IMBOLG by Veronica Smith
The main Festival of Goddess Brighid / Saint Brighid in the Celtic Solar Calendar is IMBOLG. It takes place at the mid-point between Winter Solstice and Spring Equinox and is regarded (in Ireland at least!) as the beginning of Spring.
Original drawing of Goddess Brighid by artist Yuri LeitchIn the Gregorian calendar, Imbolg takes place on the fixed date of 1st February. It is known as “Saint Brighid’s Day” and has recently become a Bank Holiday in Ireland. Saint Brighid and Saint Patrick are the two patron saints of Ireland, although only Saint Brighid is native Irish, Saint Patrick being a Romano-British missionary from Wales.
On 2nd February is the Christian festival of CANDLEMAS, when the church candles are blessed. Is it coincidence that this should happen on the day following that of Saint Brighid, who was renowned for tending a perpetual Flame of Hope?!
That said, the Gregorian calendar is not in sync with our planet’s solar calendar. In 2025, true astronomical Imbolg (the mid-point between Winter Solstice and Spring Equinox) does not take place until 3rd February.
WHAT’S IN A NAME?
Brighid’s festival has several different spellings. It can be “Imbolc” or “Imbolg” or even “Oimelc”. The variations are due to language and cultural differences.
“Bol” means “Belly” in Welsh; whereas “Bolg” means “Belly” in Irish Gaelic. “Oimelc” means “Ewe’s Milk”. All three versions refer to the lambing season. The pregnant ewe (in the belly) gives birth to the spring lambs and provides milk for their young.
Brighid, as both Celtic Goddess and Christian Saint, is the protectress of Sheep and Cattle, which were the main sources of wealth in the Celtic world.
I recently came across another interpretation of the “in the belly” meaning. It is a delightful one! It suggests that Imbolc means “in the belly of the Mother Goddess” because the seeds of Spring are beginning to stir in the womb of Mother Earth!
IMBOLG ASSOCIATIONS WITH BRIGHID
Brighid is particularly associated with white-coloured animals, such as white sheep and white cows with red ears. Milk and its dairy products, such as butter, are part of the Brighidine stories, as well as honey.
The ancient Celtic diet did not include potatoes but was reliant on grain, such as oats. So, if you want to create an Imbolg menu, think of dairy produce and oats, using honey as the sweetener! I always make a festival loaf and any bread recipes (or cookies!) that include oats, are very appropriate.
The chief flower of Imbolg is SNOWDROP. This tiny white flower is a sign of Brighid’s resilience. It appears at a time when few other plants can survive the chill temperatures of a lingering winter.
LEGENDS OF IMBOLG AND BRIGHID
There are many different stories surrounding Brighid as Bringer of Spring. Like the festival name, these stories vary according to regional customs.
One basic theme is that Winter, being represented by the Hag or Cailleach (the Crone aspect of the Triple Goddess) takes captive Brighid or Bride, who is the Spring Maiden.
It is very similar to the ancient Greek story of Persephone, daughter of the Corn Goddess Demeter, being abducted by Hades, Lord of the Underworld. Demeter is so distressed by the disappearance of her daughter that she neglects her duties as fertility goddess and the land becomes barren. The other deities must intervene, negotiating a compromise between Demeter and Hades. For nine months of the year, Persephone can return to her mother, bringing fertility back to the land, but for the last three months, she must return to her husband in the Underworld, when the land becomes barren.
In the Celtic version, it is the Crone of Winter, who abducts the Spring Maiden but the Maiden manages to escape, or is rescued, in time to bring back the Sun and Spring to the land. In another variation, it is Brighid Herself, who changes from Crone to Spring Maiden to Earth Mother and then back to Crone, according to the seasons.
Regardless of which version is followed, it is customary to make great ceremony of “inviting” Brighid into the home at Imbolg. “Brighid has Come! Brighid is welcome! Failte!”
CUSTOMS HONOURING BRIGHID AT IMBOLG
There are so many regional customs about honouring Brighid at Imbolg that it would fill a book – or probably several books! I will only look at a few of them here.
CLEANING THE HOUSE AND HEARTH:
As a Goddess of Fire and Water, Brighid needs to be welcomed into a clean home!
Water cleanses, particularly around doorways and thresholds. Cleaning windows allows in more of that welcome Spring sunshine, to brighten up the house or apartment! Alternatively, you could perform a ceremony to bless a local water-source, even if it is only your own bathroom!
The fire-place (if you have one) should be swept clean. In Ireland, where turf (peat-brickettes) is used on the fire, it is possible to “smoor” the embers; that is to bank down the fire over-night, when it can be revived the next morning. Since coming to France, where wood is used instead of turf, I have not found that possible, If you do not have a fire at all, then cleaning around your cooker is just as symbolic.
MAKING THE SAINT BRIGHID’S CROSS
It is customary, on Imbolg Eve, for the family to gather and make new Saint Brighid’s Crosses, to replace last year’s ones. Traditionally, these distinctive crosses were made from rushes or even straw from last year’s harvest, which is all well and good if you live in a rural place and have access to these materials.
Myself, I use stiff paper to make my St Brighid’s Crosses. The paper ones have the advantage that you can write prayers and intentions on them.
If you don’t have the time (or skill) to make rush or paper crosses, then there are plenty of ready-made permanent versions, made from pottery or metal and also jewellery to wear. Simply cleaning your “hard-copy” version is an act of reverence in itself!
Apart from jewellery, it is customary to hang your St Brighid’s Cross at the front door, to protect the home.
BHRAT
Another popular tradition is to hang outside a piece of cloth on Imbolg Eve, the idea being that Brighid will bless the cloth as She passes by your home. Once the cloth is blessed, then it can be used for healing headaches and injuries, by wrapping the cloth around the afflicted area.
Some use a fresh piece of cloth each year. Others use the same piece of cloth every year. Some hang out shawls, to capture Brighid’s essence, so that the owner can wrap themselves (or the person they are healing) in Brighid’s “embrace”.
The long and the short of it is that the cloth or shawl becomes a sacred object, like a prayer shawl, imbued with Brighid’s healing energy.
DOLLS AND OTHER SYMBOLS
Some folk like to make Bride Dolls (effigies of Brighid), which they place in a toy bed at Imbolg, to signify Brighid’s custom of hospitality. “Brighid is welcome to our house!”
Another custom, which seems particularly popular among Irish emigrants to America, is the weaving of wreaths, made from seasonal foliage. At each of the eight Celtic Solar Festivals, the wreath is changed.
There are lots more customs associated with Brighid at Imbolg but it is not my intention to cover them all in this article.
CONCLUSION
Whatever way you chose to celebrate the festival, Brighid will be happy that you have taken time off from your busy schedules to remember Her. Simply lighting a candle and saying a prayer to Her will be enough to connect with Blessed Brighid. Beannachtai!
Author: Veronica Smith first published on 31st January 2025
RECOMMENDED READING:
CELTIC DEVOTIONAL: Daily prayers and blessings; by Caitlin Matthews. Published by Gill & Macmillan, Ireland, in 2004. ISBN: 0-7171-3746-5
TENDING BRIGID’S FLAME; by Lunaea Weatherstone, published by Llewellyn Worldwide Ltd, USA in 2022. ISBN: 978-0-7387-4089-8
BRIGID: History, Mystery and Magick of the Celtic Goddess; by Courtney Weber; published by Weiser Books USA in 2015.
ISBN: 978-1-57863-567-2VOICES FROM THE GROVE: Beltane 2021-2022: The Call of Brighid, Bright Inspiration; Volume Two of the Ogham Grove Year Wheel Journal & Diary, dedicated to Brighid of the Flame and the Rowan Tree. Edited by Yuri Leitch; printed by Amazon.
ISBN: 9798732277517.#CelticSolarFestivals #goddessBrighid #imbolc #Imbolg #Imelc #OghamGrove #SaintBrigid #StBrigidCross #wheelOfTheYear
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✨#35 of #85 Things About DIAS
Ogham in 3D
DIAS's School of Celtic Studies digitizes early medieval inscriptions - some of Ireland's most significant national treasures and our earliest written records, dating back to the 5th century.
This project website was launched in 2013 by then Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht Jimmy Deenihan.
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https://www.alojapan.com/1537979/visiting-japan-this-autumn-dont-miss-these-limited-time-foods-in-tokyo-%f0%9f%87%af%f0%9f%87%b5/ Visiting Japan This Autumn? Don’t Miss These Limited-Time Foods in Tokyo! 🇯🇵 #Ameyoko #Asakusa #Japan #JapanFoodGuide #JapanFoods #JapanLimitedFoods #JapanTour #Japanese #Oshiage #RionIshida #Skytree #TokyoSkytree #TsukimiBurger #Ueno #Yokohama #YokohamaDestinations #YokohamaTour #YokohamaTravel #YokohamaTrip #YokohamaVacation #横浜 Visiting Japan This Autumn? Don’t Miss These Limited-Time Foods in Tokyo! 🇯🇵 Visiting Japan this autumn? 🍂🇯🇵 Let’
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Street Style Couture Fall 2026 Paris #model Photographs by Melody Jens for Models.com Alaina Rae & Audrey Lees Aluel Keror Amelia Gray Ava Christian Betsy Gaghan Bibi Breslin & Awar Odhiang Bodine Van Galen Carliane Pa Julia Barucci & Lais Garciaixao, Livia Eduarda, Bruna Souza, Julia Morais Lia Marie Mielke Marylore Heck, Nastassia Legrand, Imane Benkaddour, Flavie Sammartano, Valerie Margareta, Mica Argañaraz & Julia Nobis #mannequin #streetphotography les Jeans sont toujours majoritaires
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https://www.alojapan.com/1537979/visiting-japan-this-autumn-dont-miss-these-limited-time-foods-in-tokyo-%f0%9f%87%af%f0%9f%87%b5/ Visiting Japan This Autumn? Don’t Miss These Limited-Time Foods in Tokyo! 🇯🇵 #Ameyoko #Asakusa #Japan #JapanFoodGuide #JapanFoods #JapanLimitedFoods #JapanTour #Japanese #Oshiage #RionIshida #Skytree #TokyoSkytree #TsukimiBurger #Ueno #Yokohama #YokohamaDestinations #YokohamaTour #YokohamaTravel #YokohamaTrip #YokohamaVacation #横浜 Visiting Japan This Autumn? Don’t Miss These Limited-Time Foods in Tokyo! 🇯🇵 Visiting Japan this autumn? 🍂🇯🇵 Let’
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Ron Gilbert wraca ze swoją nową grą. Tym razem zamienia czyściec w piramidę finansową 😈
W Death by Scrolling grasz jako potępiona dusza, która musi uzbierać 5000 złotych monet, żeby wyjść z Czyśćca™. Za plecami masz ścianę ognia, wokół mnóstwo potworów, po okolicy krąży Ponury Żniwiarz, a Twoja broń się zużywa. A do tego odwieczny dylemat: złoto czy przeżycie?
Czy to kolejny klon Vampire Survivors? Zdecydowanie nie. I właśnie dlatego warto zwrócić uwagę na tego indyczka od @grumpygamer .
Pełna recenzja plus informacja dlaczego przez chwilę wahałem się z oceną 👇
https://nindyki.pl/death-by-scrolling-recenzja-nintendo-switch
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Sophia, a Mediterranean-Inspired Food Cart, Opens at Bushwick Inlet Park
A new dining option opened last month at Bushwick Inlet Park. Sophia, a food ca…
#dining #cooking #diet #food #mediterranean #MediterraneanDiet #MediterraneanFood #MediterraneanSalads #BushwickInletPark #FeaturedArticle #foodcart #FoodTruck #Mediterranean #Mediterraneansalads #Pita #skewers #Sophia #williamsburg
https://www.diningandcooking.com/2273612/sophia-a-mediterranean-inspired-food-cart-opens-at-bushwick-inlet-park/ -
https://www.connexionfrance.com/property/can-you-trim-garden-hedges-in-france-in-september/813595
Interesting item on whether or not to start hedge trimming this month. It includes a list of bird species protected here in France. 💚
#ConnexionMagazine #Environment #gardening #ProtectedBirdSpecies #ConnexionFrance #HedgeTrimming #FrenchRegulations
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French garden snails are much larger than the Irish ones I am used to. This one is about the size of a golf ball. No wonder the French eat them - especially as revenge for the snails demolishing the veggie plot! Mind you, the tastiest part of "escargot" is the garlic butter! The snails themselves are quite tasteless.
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Birch Polypore Fungus growing on fallen and decaying Birch trees. This fungus has many useful qualities.
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Birch Polypore Fungus growing on fallen and decaying Birch trees. This fungus has many useful qualities but is not edible.
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Dew on spider webs in my orchard. At least we are getting overnight dew, if not rain! 💚
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Dew on spider webs in my orchard. At least we are getting overnight dew, if not rain! 💚
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DEPRESSION-ERA PUMPKIN SCONES
This recipe comes from the 1930s, between the two World Wars, at a time of economic depression. It appears in my mother’s battered copy of the C.W.A. Cookery Book and Household Hints. C.W.A. stands for the “Country Women’s Association of Australia”, where my parents grew up.
I have not converted the original quantities to modern measurements because I think they speak for themselves.
To make these PUMPKIN SCONES, you will need:
2 cups of self-raising flour
1 tablespoon of butter
1 cup of cooked, mashed pumpkin that has cooled off
½ cup of sugar
1 egg beaten
1 tablespoon of hot water
a pinch of saltStart by creaming together the butter and sugar with the tablespoon of hot water. Next, fold in the egg. When the mixture is smooth, gradually add in a little flour, then a little of the cold, mashed pumpkin; a little more flour, a little more pumpkin, until all the flour and pumpkin have been used up. Make sure that each addition is mixed in thoroughly before adding any more.
If the mixture seems too stiff, moisten with a little milk, until you have a firm but workable dough.
Most recipes tell you to roll out the scone dough and then cut them in to shapes. However, I have found that my scones have a better texture if I avoid handling the dough with my hands. Instead, I follow what my mother used to do. I get two tablespoons and make rough blobs, about the size of a golf-ball. OK, so they don’t look “pretty” and uniform, but they still cook well and taste delicious!
Whichever method you decide to use, pre-heat your oven before mixing your ingredients. The original recipe says the oven should be fairly hot. I use 200º C and the middle shelf. A large, flat baking tray is best. These days, it is easy to get non-stick baking parchment, to line the tray but I remember my mother just lightly sprinkling the bare baking tray with some flour, before adding the raw scones.
Bake in the “fairly hot” oven for 10 to 15 minutes, until the scones are well-risen and come away clean from the base of the tray. Once cooked, immediately loosen the scones with an egg slice and wrap in a clean tea towel over a cake-cooling rack.
These scones are sweet and should be served with plain butter or with a little jam and lots of whipped cream! Freeze any left-overs. They store well and can be gently thawed out by wrapping in tin foil and placed in a slow oven. Alternatively, thaw at room temperature and toast them before serving. Enjoy!
Author: Veronica Smith, originally published 12 December 2024
#DepressionEraRecipes #food #LeftOverPumpkinRecipes #PumpkinRecipes #PumpkinScones #recipe #recipes #Scones #SweetScones