Wood Nymph Way: Imbolc and Candlemas

St. Brigid's Cross

As difficult as it is, under these piles of snow, to imagine Spring on its way, that is what this special day is about in many ways. As with many holidays during the winter season, light and its warm return are the themes here. It is considered by many to be the first day of Spring. It is a time in darker days for life to come back from underground into the increasing light and warmth of the sun. Ewes are getting ready for lambing, snowdrops are blooming, and we are refreshing our dwellings with spring cleaning and organizing.

Imbolc is a pagan tradition to honor the Goddess, Brigid, who is slowly turning the Wheel of the Year back to Spring. There are many stories of Brigid (or St. Brigid after the Church re-named her), most of them featuring her as a bride to be married to the Sun God.

Here is a children's story for Imbolc by Starhawk (via PaganDad.com). It's a sweet little story of kindness and one's own inner light. In this Christian version, St. Brigid is a girl who becomes nun to be closer to God. It's pretty short and to the point. There's a really interesting article here about the overlap of Candlemas, Imbolc, St. Brigid, and Groundhog Day.

St. Brigid crosses (like the one pictured above)are a traditional craft for this holiday. We made one last night out of straw. They are symbolic of the turning Wheel of the Year. Here is a little tutorial on how we made it.

Soak your straw in warm-ish water for about an hour.
This will make it more pliable when you bend it.

Cross a second piece over the middle of the first.

Bend the second piece around in half, enveloping
the first piece of straw. Then fold the first one in half
as well.

Add a third piece of straw, folded around the second.

Fold the fourth pice around the third. This is what it should look like
when you have four pieces. Now you're going to repeat several more times
going around in the same order.

Almost done! When you've done your last piece and it
looks about the size you want it, tuck the ends of the last
folded piece through the fold of the previous piece so
you won't have any loose ends.

Tie off the ends with string, trim uneven straw ends, and make
a loop for hanging!

This is a fun little ritual to do with the kids to usher in the spring. (Found on this site)

Prepare a collection of things to make noise with -- bells, clappers, drums, etc. Make sure each person has one form of noisemaker. You'll also need a candle in the color of your choice (tall enough to stick in the snow), something to light it with (like a lighter or matches), and a bowl.

Go outside, and create a symbol of spring in the snow. You could draw a picture of the sun or some flowers, rabbits, anything that means spring to your family. If you have a lot of space, feel free to make it as big as you like. Another option is to have each person make their own symbol in the snow.
One family member calls out:Old man winter, it's time to go!
Take with you these piles of snow!
The other family members stomp around the symbol in a circle through the snow, banging their drums, ringing their bells, and chanting:Melt, snow, melt!
Spring will soon return! Light the candle, and place it in the center of the circle. Say:A flame, a fire, all the warmth it brings,
melt the snow, cold be gone, welcome back the spring!The rest of the family stomps through the snow once more, in a circle, making lots of noise and chanting:Melt, snow, melt!
Spring will soon return!
Leave the candle to burn out on its own. Fill your bowl with snow and take it back inside with you. Place it in the center of your table and eat your meal. By the time you're done, the snow should be close to melted (if you have to, put it near the stove to hurry things along).
Hold up the bowl, and say:
The snow has melted! Spring will return!

This is a good framework for an Imbolc celebration. It would be very easy to customize the chants to your liking, perhaps making them a little more lyrical.

With light comes shadow (just ask that groundhog) so now would also be a great time for shadow puppetry! This can be as simple and a flashlight or lighted candle as a light source and hands making the shapes on a wall or suspended sheet. You could also use shadow puppets and put on a play of your favorite story. Here are some instructions for making your own shadow puppet theater!

Candlemas, the Christian based holiday, is traditionally the day that all the candles in the church are blessed for the year. Candle making is an obvious craft of choice here. We rolled our own beeswax candles with colored beeswax sheets. This is a good alternative to dipping candles when you're working with very young children. And it's so easy most can do it almost on their own.

All you need are some beeswax sheets and the proper wick.
We got our kit from A Toy Garden. Their link is in the resource list
at the bottom of the blog.

Cut your wick so it hangs over each end about 1/2". Then press
it near the edge of the sheet. Room temperature wax works best.
Our house was a little chilly, so we placed the sheet on the
radiator cover for a minute or so to make sure it
wouldn't crack when we rolled it.

Roll it.