Today is Imbolc!
Look it up:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imbolc
Or here:
http://www.new-age.co.uk/celtic-festivals-imbolc.htm
(I like the picture that goes along with Maiden - just in case you did not know what one looked like).
http://www.chalicecentre.net/imbolc.htm - It's the month of DEATH!
The tradition is that if it is sunny, then the Goddess can gather lots of firewood and winter will last longer. So you want a rainy day so she cannot leave her house so spring comes sooner. Personally, I would be worried about a Goddess that cannot control the weather, but I'm not a pagan Celt.
Sound familiar? Of course, one of these websites mentions making a doll out of corn husks, which did not exist in Pagan Scotland. Hmmm.
(Of course, I'm gutted to learn that tomatoes don't originally come from Italy.) What did they eat before pasta sauce?
Anyway, it was my friend who mentioned that today was Imbolc, which started all this research.
Rather fun. Pagan celebration morphed into a Christian replacement...see it is not just Christmas.
I've been doing publishing research, I promise.
Today started out beautiful... bright sunshine, a few clouds...
but it's turned right dreich day. I'm glad I thought to bring my brolly.
Spring is on its way, then.
As one of my friend's friends stated,
''Only the Ancient Celts would say, 'The shiny orb... it's a bad omen.'''
And to celebrate, I submit this for your enjoyment. It's my favorite part of this film.
I'm off to make a Brigid Cross.
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Truth be told, who among us knew this was a thing? Are there ever groundhogs in Scotland? Be honest, Stacey.
ReplyDeleteAlso, are you off to make someone named Brigid angry, or is that something else?
There's supposed to be an 'a' there. Brigid is a Goddess who was made a Saint to keep the Irish happy.
ReplyDeleteThere are probably ground squirrels in Scotland. But Imbolc sounds much cooler than a groundhog. :)