It's #Imbolc / #Imbolg eve! Or was it #Oimelc? Hard to say honestly.
This is the Dawn Festival of Irish culture, paralleling similar festivals throughout "Spring". Officially it's Feb 1st, but things begin at Nightfall in Celtic culture, so it begins tonight.
Like Samhain, it's likely the festival was originally on a different Solar-Calendar date (e.g. "Old Samhain"), or instead that it was, like Christian Easter, falling on a Lunar event following a yearly Solar milestone.
The festival is, without a doubt, associated primarily with #Brigit / #Brighid, who among other things is the Irish Dawn Goddess. Dawn festival -> Dawn goddess. The "Saint" version was born at imbolc, at dawn - but the Christian hagiography makes a point of saying that she was born on the 8th of the Lunar Month. Perhaps, we could read this as a hint as to when her festival might have been calculated? The 8th of the next lunar month after... solstice? Equinox?
Imbolc was xtianised early, so IDK.
But, something I lately learned is that #Imbolc is not only Brighid's: It's also a festival for Áed, who I recently speculated might be, not just a Fire deity, but a Sun deity also:
https://buttondown.com/godsandcroziers/archive/30th-jan-maedoc-aed-god-fire-sun-chariot/
According to the xtian version, Jan 31st is Máedóc / Áed's day, and Feb 1st is Brigit's. I think it's possible that they simply shared the Imbolc holiday, because these fire festivals often spanned several days rather than simply one.
It seems _likely_ to me that Áed is, in this capacity, a mirror of Bres, the sun-god who's married to Brighid and later goes rogue (perhaps in Midsummer, when we don't know whether the harvest will be safe from his caprice?). He's a god who we sometimes love, sometimes fear. But his wife Brighid is always beloved. Also a bit feared though, because another side to her is the Celtic Artemis:
https://buttondown.com/godsandcroziers/archive/1st-feb-brighid-dawn-fire-goddess-celtic-artemis/
The Brighid's cross in particular is a widespread and beloved tradition, still taught in many schools. The crosses are associated with protection from basically everything; fire, disease, misfortune, etcetera. They are most traditionally placed high over a hearth, or up in the thatch of a cottage.
In some areas, they'll be burned next imbolc - in others, they were kept and just kept stacking up in the houses!
The 3-legged ones in particular were hung near animals as protection.
So! Dawn's broken, happy #Imbolc everyone!
Don't forget to bring in those Brait Bríhhde, and to water your cactuses after the long winter! Mine are looking peaky, the grown-ups have been dry since Samhain.
If you'll be doing any traditional weaving crafts, rushes tend to grow near wetlands, but long sedges will also work OK. Straw is also a traditional material, if you have any unbroken straw. Thin Withies (folk metal band name?) would be fine, too.
If you want to wish anyone a happy #Imbolg or #LáFhéileBríde, remember it's ok to not make a big deal of whether you're referring to the Goddess or the Saint.
It's not just OK that she's shared by Christianity and the Irish Religion. It was shitty back when it was just cultural appropriation. But in this day and age it's a become a positive shared celebration. May it be so someday for all the early Saints. ;)
When making a Brighid's cross, I have an opinion: the legs should point clockwise. It's a solar symbol.
This will be more obvious in three-legged crosses. The clockwise direction is ubiquitously important in Irish folklore and mythology - it's the direction of the Sun's journey. To go the otherway is disrespectful or inauspicious.
(Ed: I'm aware the cross, when flipped, is anticlockwise. But you *make* it clockwise, yusee)
Seachaint
