It seems like winter juster arrived, but already it’s on its way out. Today is Imbolc, the Celtic festival celebrating the end of winter and the beginning of spring (though most of us don’t regard that to happen until the Equinox). It’s also approximated by St Brighid’s Day, Candlemas, Groundhog Day, Setsubun in Japan, and the Spring Festival in China (better known in the West as the Chinese New Year’s). Basically, a time to celebrate impending the return of warmth and the sun after months of cold and snow.
As usual we’ve gathered all of our related stories as well as those we found across the web that we thought were interesting. We hope you enjoy and have an enjoyable month and a half on the way to the equinox!
Imbolc / Groundhog Day Posts:
- Jude Lally. “Brighid’s Wheels and Ritual”
- Steven Posch. “Candlemas Carol”
- Steven Posch. “A Candlemas Dance-Mime”
- We’Moon. “Gathering Our Strength”
- Colleen DuVall. “Hugging Your Introvert”
- Arwen Lynch. “Imbolc 2017 Ace in the Hole”
- Karen Clark. “An Imbolc Message from the Ancestors”
- Danu Forest. “Imbolc and Brighid’s Blessing”
- Lori Dake. “A Lot Can Happen in a Year”
- Steven Posch. “A Song for Everything”
- Steven Posch. “The Songs of Imbolc”
- Steven Posch. “Stomp”
- Erin Lale. “Why Charming of the Plow Is Celebrated on More than One Day”
Birth and Pregnancy Posts:
Fire Posts:
- Robin Fennelly. “Gaia’s Fires in the Cold of Winter”
- Eileen Troemel. “Lighting the Way”
- Steven Posch. “Where the Fire Lives.”
Spring Posts:
Winter Posts:
- Nimue Brown. “Celebrating Color”
- Leni Hester. “Just Winter”
- Kate Laity. “A Meditation on Winter”
- Rachel Patterson. “Snow and Ice Magic”
- Leni Hester. “Stellar Ascent and Aid”
- Steven Posch. “Which Way to Hell?”
Cool Stuff We Found:
- The Birth of Fire
- Chinese New Year Customs You Need To Know
- Family of Four
- Feeling the Fire
- Fire Hopping a Long-Cherished Ethnic Dance in Vietnam
- Frost Formations in Veneto
- Gay Mom Asks China’s Congress to Allow IVF for Unmarried Women
- Hitting the Slopes and Cross Country Skiing in Moscow
- Holidays: Imbolc
- How Do Arctic Animals Stay Warm?
- How To Make Israel’s Favorite Winter Dessert
- How Volcanoes Are Made
- Imbolc Blessings
- Inside the Harrowing Journey of Refugee Mothers
- The Midpoint between Dark and the Return of the Light
- Moloa’s Bay Morning
- Newborn Photography Gains Momentum in Astana
- A Poem for Bridget
- La Tania, France
- The (Other) Wonderful Time of the Year
- Seasons Fighting
- Sow Your Seedlings Now, in Winter, for a Healthier Garden in the Spring
- Spring Favorites
- Willow’s Wireless New Pump May Be a New Mom’s Breast Friend
- The Year of the Red Fire Chicken
