IMBOLC/CANDLEMAS February 1. DARK.
	IMBOLC Imbolc is traditionally celebrated on FEBRUARY 1. Some groups however, celebrate it on February 2. Imbolc is the Festival of the beginning of Spring, by traditional reckoning. It represents the renewed life of the Earth after Winter and the growing strength of the Sun. Imbolc is a festival of Light, and of the dawn. It is traditional to light many candles for this Festival, to encourage the Sun to shine brighter and the Earth to throw off the cold of the Winter months. For this reason Imbolc is also called Candlemas, and this is perhaps the more popular name for the Festival. Because Winter does not always end this early, however, the custom of the Ground Hog was developed as a form of sacred divination. A Ground Hog is released at dawn on Imbolc. If the Ground Hog doesn’t see its shadow it is believed that Winter will end. If the Ground Hog does see its shadow it is believed that Winter will last six more weeks -’til Ostara, the next Sabbat. This rite can also be performed with other, similar creatures, such as Hamsters or Guinea Pigs, who are easier to handle than Ground Hogs. Imbolc is a Lunar or Grand Sabbat, and is sacred to the Maiden Goddess, the Goddess of the dawn and of fire. The Maiden Goddess has many names including Brighid, Bride (pro; VREE-juh), Eos, Aradia, and Vesta. The Maiden is not only the Goddess of physical fire, but also of the fire of inspiration, the fire of creativity. Hers is the fire that is the first spark of fertility and life. In the Vangelo it says that when the Goddess first beheld the beauty of the God She trembled, and Her trembling was the first dawn; that is why Dawn is thought of as a Goddess, and that quality of inspiration and desire for beauty is the nature of the Maiden Goddess. Imbolc is also called Oimelc (pro; “EE-mell”), which is Gaelic and means “Lactation of Ewes.” Another Gaelic name for this Festival is La Fheile Bride, “the feast of Bride” (pronounced “Law EYE-lah VREE-juh”), honoring the Goddess Brighid. The Festival is also called Ground Hogs’ Day, because of the ritual described above. - excerpted from the First Degree Course of the Correllian Nativist Tradition of Wicca as administered on Witchschool.com
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