Imbolc inspirations for families

Good cheer! Good cheer! Imbolc in near!

Imbolc is one of the least flashy Pagan holidays and it can easily be neglected. It is also probably the least oriented towards children of all the celebrations, but this is unfortunate. Imbolc is one of my favorite celebrations and I have found some very fun and appropriate ways to include my preschool-age children, while reserving time for adult introspection and inspiration. 

For six years, I held a small women’s gathering with a group of old friends as an Imbolc celebration. Until one of the fathers developed leukemia, we managed to get the men to take care of the children, so we could have some much-needed women's time. The past few years have seen many illnesses among the group and some particularly long, gray winters. As a result, we now celebrate Imbolc mainly with our own family. 

Crafts

Every year now, I construct a Brigid’s Cross, either out of plum twigs or out of corn stocks that I have saved from the previous year's harvest. Named after the Irish goddess of fire and healing, Brigid, the cross looks like a runic symbol of a square in which each of the four sides extends on the right-hand side. The basic cross is made by weaving together 12 sticks or stalks of grain. Then it is traditionally hung by the door of a dwelling to protect the home from harm in general and fire in particular. I made two, one to hang on the door like a seasonal wreath and one to hang near the hearth throughout the year.

Here's a link to a how-to showing some alternative methods of making a Brigid's cross.

I also make a Brigid doll out of small tree branches, dried flowers from the herb harvest., scraps of white cloth and red yarn. The basic idea is to take two sticks, cross them and bind them together with yarn. Then, I take a wad of cloth, cover it with more cloth to make a roundish lump and bind that to the top part of the cross to form a head. Then I lay a bouquet of dried flowers down along the bottom of the center stick like a dress and cover it with more cloth. I add decorations that look like a shawl and a yarn belt and paint on a face. The doll is an integral part of our child-friendly Imbolc ritual.

With a holiday so dependent on candles caution bears repeating. Imbolc is a particularly bad time to let candles burn unprotected. 

We had a close call with fire a few years ago, even though it didn't have to do with lit candles. My niece who was then nineteen visited shortly after the children and I had done our Imbolc ritual, and she made a fire in the wood stove without noticing that the Brigid doll and other items had been placed on top of the cold stove. The doll was badly scorched but nothing else was harmed before the problem was noticed. My niece felt terrible about ruining the Brigid doll and the kids were sad but after I thought it over, I realized the synchronicity of the moment. Brigid is the goddess who protects households against fire and in this case the Brigid doll had taken the brunt of the danger of fire, been scorched and had not burst into flame despite being made out of dry twigs and dried flowers, thus truly protecting us from fire. Make of it what you will but be sure to discuss fire safety with young children, if you introduce them to candles as a part of ritual.

A key symbol of Imbolc for my kids is an Imbolc crown. I use white paper and cut a strip to go around their heads. Then we attach four shorter white strips sticking up and flame-shaped bits of red paper to the tops of these. The effect looks like a crown made of four candles. I use four for the four elements, but seven is another number that is traditional for Imbolc, if you are feeling ambitious or have older children. The children color their crowns and I help by adding appropriate symbols and runes. My kids enjoy wearing these crowns for our Imbolc ritual.

Kids with Imbolc crowns demonstrating fire protection knowledge

The children and I also make three snake-shaped candle holders out of salt dough and paint them white, red and black to symbolize the triple goddess. The snake candle holders are easy to do. Make two long snakes out of dough. Coil one of them into a spiral to form the base of the candle holder. Using a tea candle as a mold, coil the other one around the edge of the base and build it up two or three layers. Form the end of the second snake into a triangular head and add dots for eyes. Brigid's animal symbol is the snake.

One year we decorated a special wish jar with tissue paper and sparkles. Imbolc is a time of making wishes for the year ahead and hoping for prophesy. Now we use this jar each year to store our wishes for the coming seasons.

Cooking

I make a traditional red-colored Imbolc soup that includes red lentils, lots of red peppers, pumpkin, carrots and red onions. I also make garlic rolls with seeds in them. Given that Imbolc is associated with the very beginnings of life and spring, it is always fitting to cook something with seeds at this time of year.

Both my husband's and my niece's birthdays come right around Imbolc, so their birthday wishes often take over the cooking regime. For several years now, their desire has been cinnamon rolls and this is quickly becoming an Imbolc tradition.

During the Imbolc season I decorate the table with lots of candles and a ceramic plate covered with salt, clear and amethyst quartz crystals and seven tea candles. This makes a beautiful and thematic center piece. 

Ritual and fun

With kids, I consider Imbolc to be the ideal time to start a cycle of education about gardens and plants. For preschool children it is good to start with a practical demonstration of sprouting seeds. You can use alfalfa sprouts and have the added benefit of getting to eat the results. Or you can try one of the contraptions that allows you to see a sprouting bean seed through a clear container. 

Last year, my kids experimented with planting beans in a box that had one side cut off and covered with plastic wrap. They were supposed to be able to see the seeds sprout and put down roots. The only problem was that the seeds we planted right next to the plastic wrap didn’t sprout well, but other bean seeds in the box sprouted and grew like crazy, all over the window. Still beans are particularly effective in getting the kids thinking about how seeds sprout because they sprout so quickly. Obviously this is also the time for planting some of the long-term starts that will be transplanted to the garden in the spring.

Imbolc provides the occasion for the first basic ritual my children have directly participated in. Do to the unique ritual crafts of Imbolc, it actually provides a nice opportunity for including children in ritual. We light candles in our snake candle holders and the kids wear their Imbolc crowns. We let the kids cast a circle by grasping hands in a circle and turning clockwise while saying, "North, south, east west. May our circle now be blessed." The circle is cast right in front of our hearth and the Brigid doll is sleeping on the hearth in a basket. The highlight of the ritual is when the children "wake up Brigid" by gently setting the doll upright and showing it the candles and other offerings. We sing appropriate songs such as “Rise up, oh flame” and “The earth, the air, the fire, the water returns”.Next, the children write or dictate their wishes for the next year. Slips of paper with these wishes are rolled up and put through a slit in the lid of the wish jar. We also make an offering to the spirits of our hearth and ask for protection. Finally, we use sage smoke to purify our new Brigid’s Cross, which we hang above the hearth for year-round protection from fire. Then the children open the circle by joining hands and going counterclockwise while saying, "East, west, south north. From our circle we go forth." This is all simple and active enough for very young children. 

I always make time for adult rituals and reflection after the children are in bed as well. Imbolc is truly a time when the need for introspection and quiet can become urgent. I would love to hear about your Imbolc traditions for adults or children. Please feel free to share in the comments box below.