Imbolc

Hello!

After my previous post about Samhain I was thinking that maybe I would do a little research on the rest of the Celtic seasonal festivals (Imbolc, Beltane, Lughnasadh). Samhain is the last one I've written about but just in case you didn't read it I will put a link down below. Maybe you wonder why I have started with the last one. Well, apparently it may seem like that, but actually, Samhain was the eve to mark the start of a new year!

The Imbolc festival, nowadays known by Christians as the Candlemass, was celebrated the 1st and 2nd day of February (north hemisphere) and it marked the beginning of the lambing season and also the beginning of Spring. Etymologically, the word Imbolc means 'in the belly' (of the Mother) which means that everything in nature is awakening after the long cold winter and feelings like hope and renaissance have place. The Celts honoured the goddess Brighid, who was a goddess of healing, smithcraft, fire and hearth. Brighid was represented as the Triple goddess. She was said to bring fertility to the land and its people. She was represented as a maiden.

It was also a festivity where fire was involved and they put candles as representation of the Flame of Brighid and for make wishes, they made handmade dolls and the Brighid Cross was made as a protection and prosperity symbol.

 Brighid as the Triple Goddess

Representation of Brighid giving new life to the earth.

(Source: Brighid Celtic Goddess Images)

Sources for the text: Brighid / Imbolc

My Samhain post: Samhain Celtic Festivity

Samhain

Hello my dear readers!

I have come again to talk about a new topic that I have never talked about but I've been very interested on. I've also choosed this topic because soon some of you will celebrate, or at least you will be conscious, that the 31st of September is Halloween! Maybe some of you didn't know about this fact, but previous to the Christianization this festivity was called Samhain.

I would first like to talk about the people who believed in this pagan beliefs and they were the Celts. They lived approximately from the Bronze Age onwards and they were situated in many parts of Europe and the Mediterranean region. Although they were a vast amount of tribes they had the same language and the same artistic tradition which made them special from the rest of the world. Nowadays there are some parts of the British Isles and France where this language is spoken.

The Celts used to celebrate a festivity (Samhain) to conmemorate the ending of the harvest, in fact, etymologically, this words means 'the end of summer'. It was also for celebrate the start of a new year, as it began in those dates. Since this moment the days were getting shorter and the nights longer so for them it was a time of darkness (and sometimes literally because in the north the sun only showed up for few hours). Also in this time they kept the cattle and the herds in the stables, the time for harvest was over and things such as battles had no place until Beltaine (another festivity).

Spiritually, these people believed that the veil that separated the world of the living and the world of the spirits was thinner so that meant that these immaterial creatures could come and wander in our world. It wasn't necessarily a bad thing because all the passed-away members of a family could come once more and visit their loved ones. But also the evil creatures could pass through and make some damage so that's why they lighted up enormous bonfires to scare the bad spirits. The bonfire had a double function: to show the way home of the deceased and to keep away bad spirits. Also they wear costumes to hide from evil creatures.

So now you know a little bit more about this festivity! Nowadays as you can see it has changed a lot and it's more a consumist event than what it used to be.

Thanks for reading!

Pumpkin

I will link down below some sources that I have used.
Celts
Halloween's origin
Pumpkin image