Imbolc (Candlemas) Sabbat

Imbolc (Candlemas) Sabbat

Mbolc is one of the 4 foremost festivals of the Irish calendar, normally celebrated by the Gaels, different Celtic cultures and modern Pagans at the beginning of February. Initially devoted to the goddess Brigid, it was subverted by means of Christianity as St Brigid's Day.

Introduction to Imbolc

The festival of Imbolc (additionally Imbolg), now frequently known as St Bride's Day or Candlemas after the forcible Christianization of Europe, falls today at the beginning of February. But the Gaelic human beings did no longer mark February as we do. Known as in Gaelic faoilleach, or faoillteach, as we study in MacBain (1911), the month extended from the center of modern-day January to the center of our February. The word derives from the Irish faoillidh or faoilleach, meaning holidays or carnival, which itself means 'wolf-month' from faol, 'wolf'. In step with McBain, February in Irish is mí na Féile Bríghde, or Lá Fhéile Bríde (Lá Feabhra), reported regulation ay-leh bree-djeh (law feow-rah). We take our name for this month from the Roman purification ritual of Februa, derived from the Latin februum, 'purification', which become held on the 15th of February by way of the old Roman calendar.

The call Imbolc comes from the antique Irish i mbolg, 'in the stomach', seemingly in reference to both pregnant ewes or milking. The oldest etymology, that of the ninth century Cormac's word list, derives imbolc (additionally oimelc) from 'the time the sheep's milk comes'. While frequently criticised as a fanciful derivation by using scholars, this has come to dominate interpretations of this competition. Within Gaelic subculture the competition itself is truly a veneration of the pre-Christian goddess Bride or Brigid and maximum of the recorded customs concentrated round this deity. Therefore, maximum references to this pageant historically used the name of Bride or Brigid.

The competition's reputation in Wicca arose from the work of Gerald Gardner. But, Gardner had no get right of entry to to authentic Pagan witchcraft sources (no matter his claims) and based the ritual for what he referred to as 'February Eve' on the overall schema he had developed for everyday coven meetings. Evolved someday among 1949 and 1953 this naked outline has seeing that been fleshed out by different Wiccan writers, often drawing on the extra availability of scholarship at the customs and traditions of the Gaelic and Celtic peoples.

Excerpts on the records of Imbolc/Candlemas
Christianization
The conception of the Virgin Mary is represented on the same day (the second of February) as that of the amazing idea of Juno with the aid of the historic Romans. This, says the writer of the Perennial Calendar, is a tremendous accident. [...] it is also a top notch twist of fate that the Romans need to have had their Prosipernalia, or ceremonial dinner of Candles or Candlemass in February [...] therefore we see that the Roman Catholics were in the dependancy of celebrating Christian gala's upon days which have been held sacred via the heathens.
W. Winwoode examine, The Veil of Isis; or, The Mysteries of the Druids, 1861, five.I.

On the second one day of February, the Romans perambulated their metropolis with torches and candles burning in honour of Februa; and the Greeks at this identical period held their dinner party of lighting fixtures in honour of Ceres. Pope innocent explains the foundation of this banquet of Candlemass. He states that "The heathens committed this month to the infernal gods. At its beginning Pluto stole away Proserpine, and her mom Ceres looked for her within the night time with lighted torches. In the starting of this month the idolaters walked about the town with lighted candles, and as some of the holy fathers couldn't extirpate such a custom, they ordained that Christians need to convey about candles in honour of the Virgin Mary." This technique of keeping the banquet of Candlemass does now not now be successful on this u . S .; thus far as the laity are worried, the festival may be stated to have died out, but consistent with Dr. Brewer, the pageant is kept via the Roman Catholic Church as the time for consecrating the candles used within the Church carrier.
James Napier, Folklore: Superstitious ideals within the West of Scotland, 1879, p. A hundred seventy five.

Folklore
St Bride's Day
inside the Highlands of Scotland the revival of vegetation in spring was once graphically represented on St. Bride’s Day, the first of February. Therefore in the Hebrides “the mistress and servants of each own family take a sheaf of oats, and get dressed it up in women’s clothing, put it in a big basket and lay a timber club by way of it, and this they name Briid’s bed; and then the mistress and servants cry three instances, ‘Briid is come, Briid is welcome.’ This they do simply before going to mattress, and when they rise in the morning they appearance a number of the ashes, waiting for to peer the influence of Briid’s membership there; which if they do, they reckon it a real presage of a good crop and rich 12 months, and the contrary they take as an unwell omen.” The identical custom is defined by way of some other witness as a result: “Upon the night earlier than Candlemas it's far standard to make a bed with corn and hay, over which some blankets are laid, in a part of the residence, near the door. While it is prepared, someone is going out and repeats 3 times, … ‘Bridget, Bridget, are available in; thy bed is prepared.’ One or extra candles are left burning near it all night.”
Sir James George Frazer, The Golden Bough: A take a look at of Magic and religion, 1922, Chap. X.
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The Goddess Bride
there are numerous legends and customs linked with Bride. A number of those seem inconsistent with each other, and with the man or woman of the Saint of Kildare. These seeming inconsistencies stand up from the reality that there have been numerous Brides, Christian and pre-Christian, whose personalities have emerge as pressured inside the direction of centuries--the attributes of all being now popularly ascribed to one. Bride is stated to preside over fire, over art, over all splendor, 'fo cheabhar agus fo chuan,' under the sky and under the sea. And man being the best type of perfect beauty, Bride presides at his beginning and dedicates him to the Trinity. She is the Mary and the Juno of the Gael. She is much spoken of in connection with Mary,--commonly with regards to the start of Christ. She turned into the resource-female of the mom of Nazareth inside the lowly solid, and she or he is the useful resource-woman of the moms of u.S. In their humble houses.
Alexander Carmichael, Carmina Gadelica, 1900, vol. I, p. 164.

Weather Prognostication
A windy Christmas and a calm Candlemas are signs of an amazing yr.
William Stuart, famous Superstitions of the Highlanders of Scotland, 1823, p. 242. N.B., Stuart says that 'Candlemas' changed into the call given to the brand new year.

Witchcraft
From the Confession of Isobel Gowdie
'we might go to numerous homes inside the night time time. We were at Candlemas ultimate in Grangehill, wherein we were given meat and drink sufficient. The devil sat at the pinnacle of the desk, and all the Coven about. That night he desired Alexander Elder in Earlseat to say the grace before meat, which he did; and is that this: "We eat this meat within the devil's call " [etc.]. After which we started out to consume. And when we had ended eating, we seemed steadfastly to the satan, and bowing ourselves to him, we stated to the devil, We thank thee, our Lord, for this.--We killed an ox, in Burgie, approximately the dawing of the day, and we delivered the ox with us domestic to Aulderne, and did consume all among us in an residence in Aulderne, and feasted on it.'
Quoted in Margaret Alice Murray, The Witch-Cult in Western Europe, 1921, V.5.

Candles
before everything sight it'd appear that the candles were evidently used only to light up the middle of the night festivities, but the evidence points to the burning lights being part of the ritual. That is also suggested by way of the importance, within the cult, of the early-spring pageant of Candlemas; a competition which has lengthy been recognized as of pre-Christian origin.
The mild is specifically referred to oftentimes as being carried with the aid of the devil, normally on his head; the witches regularly lit their torches and candles at this flame, although from time to time evidently the devil lit the torch and then presented it to the witch. To call the chief of the cult Lucifer became therefore primarily appropriate, mainly on the Candlemas Sabbath.
Margaret Alice Murray, The Witch-Cult in Western Europe, 1921, V.6.

The Sabbaths
The Sabbaths have been held quarterly, on the second one of February (Candlemas day), the Eve of can also, the primary of August (Lammas), and the Eve of November (All Hallow E'en). This suggests a department of the yr at may and November with two pass-sector days. One of these department belongs to a totally early calendar before the introduction of agriculture. It has no connection with sowing or reaping, it ignores the solstices and equinoxes, but it marks the opening of the 2 breeding seasons for animals, each wild and domesticated. It consequently belongs to the searching and pastoral intervals, and is in itself a demonstration of the acute primitiveness of the cult and factors to a very early beginning, reaching returned likely to the Palaeolithic technology. Cormac, archbishop of Cashel inside the 10th century, refers to those meetings whilst he says that "in his time 4 tremendous fires had been lighted up on the 4 high-quality festivals of the Druids, viz.: in February, may, August, and November". Seven centuries later, in 1661, Isobel Smyth of Forfar acknowledged that "by using these meetings she met with him (i.E., the satan) each sector at Candlemas, Rood day, Lammas, and Hallowmass". This suggests the continuity of the antique faith underlying the reliable faith of Christianity.
Margaret Alice Murray, The God of the Witches, III.

Wicca
Definition
In Wicca, Candlemas, or greater frequently Imbolc, is often defined as a festival marking the Goddess' cyclical change from Crone to Maiden. Plenty attention is given to the intended appearance of the primary signs of spring, sincerely it could in Western Europe coincide with the blossoming of early flowering plant species.
For instance, see 'word list of terms normally utilized in Wicca', internet e book of Shadows, 1992.

The February Eve Ritual
After ordinary opening, all are doubly purified [that is, with eighty strokes].
Dance spherical outdoor circle, excessive Priestess with sword girded on and drawn, Phallic wand in left hand.
Enter circle.
Magus assumes God function.
Excessive Priestess gives Fivefold Kiss, invokes: "Dread Lord of dying and Resurrection, lifestyles and the giver of lifestyles, Lord within ourselves, whose name is mystery of Mysteries, encourage our hearts. Let the light crystalize in our blood, pleasant us of resurrection, for there is no a part of us that isn't of the gods. Descend, we pray thee, upon this thy servant and Priest (call)."
All need to be purified in sacrifice earlier than him. He then purifies the high Priestess together with his very own fingers, and others if he will.
Cakes and wine.
Excellent rite if possible, in token or actual.
Games and dance as the humans will.
Dismiss [the guardians, and close down the magic circle; the people then stay to] dinner party and dance.