Imbolc (pronounced im-MOLG)
Candle Festival, Oimelc
February 1 or 2
Although we would think of Imbolc as being in the midst of Winter, it represents in fact the first of a trio of Spring celebrations, since it is the time of the first appearance of the snowdrop, and of the melting of the snows and the clearing of the debris of Winter. It is a time when we sense the first glimmer of Spring, and when the lambs are born. It is a gentle, beautiful festival in which the Mother Goddess is honored with eight candles rising out of the water at the centre of the ceremonial circle.
Imbolc marks the midpoint of the dark half of the year. At sunset, the household fires are put out and then re-lit. Around the fire, corn dollies are made to symbolize the goddess who is now full in her pregnancy. Brigit crosses are made for protection of the home and poets, artisans, craftsperson and smiths are honored. Candles are burned in the home to symbolize the growing of the "son” light within the goddess. A Sunrise mark the first official day of ploughing and it is a good time to plant a fruit tree to symbolize the fruit that the goddess Brigit carries within her. Dagda is honored, though his role is minor at this time. Divinations are wise now as the creativity of the goddess is at its peak. Imbolc marks the time of early childhood [up to about 7 years].
Colors: White, Silver and Pale Yellow
Customs: Candle Burning, Hearth Re-Lighting
Symbols: Single Flame, Hearth
Sacred Foods: preserved, dried, canned foods
Herbs: Angelica, Basil, Bay, Benzoin, Coltsfoot, Bladderwrack, Mace, Iris, Myrrh, Tansy, Hops, Horehound, Cohosh, Elder Flower
Beltane (pronounced BELL-tain)
May Eve, Cetsamhuinn [opposite Samhaim], Beltain
April 30- May 1
Beltane marks the time of our adolescence and early woman/manhood. Spring is in full bloom, and twin fires are lit at this time, through which would be passed the cattle after their long winter confinement, or over which those hoping for a child or good fortune would jump. Beltane marks the start of the light half of the year. Our child-god Lugh continues to grow and we are again reminded of his re-birth into a new life.
Hearth fires are rekindled and cakes are baked to be served with cold cider. All of the Elements are honored: the marriage of Earth and Sky, the life-giving Waters, and the purifying and protecting Fire. There is singing, dancing and feasting around the maypole which symbolizes the union of god and goddess.
This is a time of great fertility of both man and earth. It was customary for young lovers to spend the night in the forest. Handfasting also take place during Beltane. Festivities continue through the night, and at Sunrise, leftover food and drinks are given to the Guardian Spirits.
Garlands of flowers may be thrown into the sea to insure good fishing of both sea creatures and men. A quiet walk in meditation and reflection along a nature trail or in a quiet place in the evening marks the close of this Festival.
Colors: Red and White
Customs: May Pole, Gathering Flowers, Wearing Green, Fire Calling, Feasting, Making Merry
Symbols: May Pole, Daffodils, Bright Colors, Smiling Sun
Sacred Foods: Sweets and Sugar Products, Cakes, Cookies, Fruit, No Meat
Herbs: Almond, Clover, Frankincense, Hawthorn, Ivy, Calendula, Meadowsweet, Rose, Heather.
Lughnasadh (pronounced LOO-nah-sah)
Grain Festival
August 1
Lughnasadh marks the beginning of harvest time. The hay would have been gathered in, and the time for reaping the wheat and barley is due. It is a time of gathering together, of contests and games and of marriages. The marriages contracted at this time could be annulled at the same time the following year - offering the couple a sensible 'trial period'.
In some areas a flaming wheel was sent rolling down the hillside at this time to symbolize the descent of the year towards Winter. On this day Lugh is at his strongest. He has fully united himself with the Earth. It is a time of feasting for the first fruits of the harvest and the wedding. Activities of the day include climbing mountains, musical and poetry contests, races and dancing. Oak Cakes are baked and eaten in honor of Lugh. Many grains, seeds, and herbs are harvested at this time.
Colors: Gray, Gold, Green and Yellow
Customs: Games, Competitions, Feasting, Year & A Day Marriages, Fire Building, Spear Tossing, Gathering Flowers, Fencing/Sword Sports
Symbols: Wheat Stalk, Loaves of Bread, Spear, Sickle
Sacred Foods: Grain Breads, Golden Vine/Dandelions, Poultry, Foul, Fish, No Red Meat, Gruels, Cakes, Oatmeal Cookies, Corn, Strawberries
Herbs: Berries, Fenugreek, Frankincense, Heather, Mistletoe, Oak, Oats, Sunflower, Chamomile, Calendula
Samhain (pronounced SOW-un)
The Feast of The Dead, November Eve, Summer's End, Sovvan, Sowan
October 31 - November 2
Samhaim is the Celtic New Year and begins the dark half of the year. The time of "no time", it marks the end of the Harvest and the time to finish the business of Summer. It begins at Sunset on October 31 and continues through Sunset on November 2, and commences with the lighting of the sacred bonfires. Old accounts are settled and old habits are discarded.
It is a time of "away with the old, in with the new". Fairies and Earth Spirits are most active at this time and food and drink offerings are made to them by spilling such onto the Earth. Time is abolished for 3 days during this festival, a time when "chaos" reigns, and people do crazy things. But behind this apparent lunacy, lay a deeper meaning.
The Druids know that these three days have a special quality about them. The veil between this world and the World of the Ancestors is
drawn aside on these nights, and for those who are prepared, journeys can be made in safety to the 'other side'. The Druid rites, therefore, are concerned with making contact with the spirits of the departed, who are seen as sources of guidance and inspiration rather than as sources of dread.
The dark moon, the time when no moon can be seen in the sky, is the phase of the moon which rules this time, because it represents a time in which our mortal sight needs to be obscured in order for us to see into the other worlds.
The dead are honored and feasted, not as the dead, but as the living spirits of loved ones and of guardians who hold the root-wisdom of the tribe. This is also the proper time for Crooning Rituals as the goddess in the form of the Crone is strongest at this time of the year. The goddess Ceridwen and the good god, the Dagda, mourn the death of the son Lugh. When the bonfire dies, the ashes are sprinkled over the fields for protection over the winter months.
Colors: Black and Orange
Customs: bonfires, apple games, frightening costumes, fire calling, tricks, pumpkin carving, stone burning
Symbols: cauldrons, jack o'lanterns, pumpkins, corn husk bundles, poisonous herbs, Saturn, skulls, black cats, witches
Sacred Foods: pumpkin, root and vine vegetables, apples, red meat, red wine
Herbs: Acorn, Oak, Apple, Corn, Mullein, Pumpkin, Sage, Turnip, Potato, Wormwood