Celebrating Imbolc

The start of Spring in the Celtic Wheel of the Year is just days away 🌱

“Since I started following the Celtic Wheel, I’ve been much more attuned to the in-between seasons marked by the Celts that not only celebrate the magic of the moment but signal a movement forwards. Imbolc (pronounced ‘IMM-bolk’),
the festival of fire and light, is the Celtic feast celebrating the very beginning of Spring – a pivotal moment of change that signifies new beginnings, growth and renewal. We are still in Winter, but look closely and you’ll notice the seasons beginning to shift little by little, day by day as the light grows stronger, little by little, day by day.” - from my book, Slow Seasons.

Here are some things I’ll be making and doing to mark the turn of the season.

Celebrating Imbolc

Imbolc is the Celtic celebration of returning light, growth and fertility that takes place on 1 or 2 February. Imbolc is the midpoint between Yule - the Winter Solstice - and Ostara - the Spring Equinox - in the Celtic Wheel of the year. It is the first of the Spring festivals in our ancestors’ tradition, as Winter began with Samhain at the end of October. And I don’t know about you, but this week I’ve been spotting so many of the very first signs of Spring, from the first snowdrops tentatively peeping out of the earth to the the sound of birdsong gradually increasing to the first hints of daylight past 4.30 p.m. It may still be stormy outside, but the light and tentative warmth that has started to emanate from the sun occasionally this week speaks to lighter, longer days coming soon and a definite movement away from Winter - if that’s not worth celebrating in some of the below ways, I don’t know what is.

Lighting the Candles

Imbolc is a celebration of the returning light, growth, fertility and renewal. It coincides with Christianity’s Candlemas, and both celebrations are associated with light, particularly the lighting of candles. Fire symbolises purification and protection, welcoming the return of light and hope. In the Celtic tradition, the hearth was usually extinguished and re-lit, with candles in each room and a broom placed by the door to symbolise the cleaning out of the old and celebration of the new. I’ll be lighting the stove this week, and will still be embracing candles in a big way for the next wee while. In Slow Seasons there are step by step instructions for how to make a hand poured soy or beeswax candle, and I’ll be cosying up with a good book next to mine.

Growing Birdsong

Even when the last thing I want to do is head outside, I always feel better for it. At this time of year I can start feeling impatient for Spring, but nature reminds me again and again to slow down and trust in the cycle of things. This weekend I really didn’t feel like going for a walk, but even a quick half an hour spent in nature made me feel so much better. I spotted the nodding white heads of the first snowdrops, bright yellow Winter aconite and hazel catkins blowing in the breeze. The thing that struck me most was noticing the growing birdsong and flurry of activity, and I continued to pay attention to this when we got home. It’s the RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch this weekend, encouraging us to spend an hour watching the birds and recording who visits our (in my case, communal city) green spaces. The sparrows and starlings have been very active outside our window and it seems they are among the most popular birds spotted. You might just be surprised what you see in your own wee patch.

Kitchen Nourishment

I wasn’t so well towards the end of last year and found myself feeling really unmotivated to cook as a result, but have recently found my kitchen mojo again. Hooray! Our fortnightly veg box has been encouraging me to find different ways to be creative with the surprise ingredients that arrive - and while I’m running out of ways with carrots, it’s been refreshing to try new things. At the greengrocer I also spotted the first Seville oranges, so now I’m through a period of intense marking in my other job as English teacher, marmalade is definitely on the cards for next weekend. It is my favourite thing to make at this time of year - the ritual of shredding the peel and simmering the pot as much fun as the eventual eating. In Slow Seasons I’ve shared my own marmalade recipe, alongside a blood orange and cardamom and clementine and vanilla versions. There are also recipes for marmalade bostocks (brioche and almond pastries) and marmalade cinnamon buns to enjoy your preserving spoils, but you can easily make them with high quality shop bought for a delicious seasonal brunch.

Snowdrop Season

Tentatively, the first flower shoots and buds begin to appear, most notably the first snowdrops, gallanthus. Gallonthophiles – fans of the snowdrops – celebrate with festivals, snowdrop themed gatherings and nature trails. I’m very much looking forward to visiting my favourite garden, Cambo, and their annual snowdrop festival in the East Neuk of Fife. The delicate white, drooping bell-shaped flowers offer assurance to even the weariest nature lover that Spring will come again. In the meantime I’ll be forcing daffodils and muscari indoors in vintage terracotta pots to bring some much-needed nature indoors. There is something so therapeutic about watching something grow at this time of year.

If you enjoy my seasonal to do lists and seasonal living tips, do consider joining us in my paid subscriber community for more regular posts. Together in this wee corner of the Internet we are creating a beautiful community of like-minded old souls who want to slow down, simplify and connect with the seasons. Here’s a flavour of what I’ve been posting over there this last month:

Slow Scotland: Inver

Gentle January Reflection

Seasonal Celebrations: Burns Night

Sow, Grow, Harvest, Rest Book Group: January

Thanks so much for reading, and see you next month xxx

p.s. Slow Seasons is filled with seasonal crafts, recipes, nature notes and celebrations inspired by my Scottish heritage and if you enjoy this newsletter I think you’ll love it! I follow the progress of the year through each mini season, from Imbolc at the start of the year to Yule at the end and is beautifully illustrated by Holly Ovenden throughout. You can read more about it in this post and you can order ‘Slow Seasons’ here.