It's February and according to pagans, spring is upon us
Have we turned the corner of a cold winter?
- The ancient holiday of Imbolc celebrates the imminent return of the sun in spring.
- The holiday also commemorates either goddess Bhrigid or St. Brigid, who may or may not be the same person.
- Good weather on Imbolc means more winter to come.
What happens on Imbolc
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8xOTE4NDE3NS9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYzMzg2MzYwMn0.J4nebUjAPSR9453iF1kniUm6wllp3aDSExS6feMrVD8/img.jpg?width=1245&coordinates=0%2C78%2C182%2C24&height=700" id="e34be" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="c3e49973f9cc271780373669ca66ba3b" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" />Photo credit: Tobias Vemmenby on Flickr
<p>As with any good festival, Imbolc involves feasting, particularly of home-and-hearth edibles <a href="https://www.thoughtco.com/guide-to-celebrating-imbolc-2562102" target="_blank" data-vivaldi-spatnav-clickable="1">stored over the winter,</a> such as breads, grains, onions, and potatoes.</p><p>In keeping with the (eventual) return of the sun, fire is a big part of Imbolc. Beyond spectacular public displays of fire, candles are lit all around celebrants' houses. In earlier times, hearths would burn through the Imbolc night, and if a house was made of non-flammable stone, multiple fires were lit.</p><p>People visit <a href="https://www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk/munlochy/clootiewell/index.html" target="_blank" data-vivaldi-spatnav-clickable="1">wells</a> on Imbolc, particularly holy wells, circling them in the same direction of the sun and praying for a good year ahead. Afterward, coins and pieces of cloth called "clooties" may be left as offerings.</p><p>Leading up to the holiday, people make <a href="http://www.goddessandgreenman.co.uk/imbolc-candlemas" target="_blank" data-vivaldi-spatnav-clickable="1">Brigid's crosses</a> that can be hung up around their houses in celebration of Imbolc. Another popular item is the green <em>brat Bhride</em>, or Bhrigid's mantle. Its origin is an offer of property made to the young Bhrigid/Brigid for an abbey she wished to build. The king told her she could have as much property as she could cover with her cloak. Using magic, she increased the size of the cloak until it was so massive it covered all the land she needed. </p><p>Today, women fashion their own Bhrigid's mantles of green cloth for wrapping around their shoulders, and it's believed that leaving such a mantle on the hearth allows Bhrigid to visit and bless it on Imbolc each year, making the mantle more and more imbued with her magic with each passing Imbolc.</p>Creepier than a groundhog
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8xOTE4NDE3MC9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYxNjQwMTU3MH0.q2TIbdJKC2nzUnns75Q-NoTZXOoP8DCvSp4BfSrAhY4/img.jpg?width=1245&coordinates=0%2C270%2C300%2C42&height=700" id="a88e4" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="6f47a66b179663aa3bce63fbc35a7e31" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" />A Cailleach bhéara. Image source: Rob Hurson on Flickr
<p>As with modern Groundhog Day on February 1, the weather on Imbolc foretells the future: An Imbolc with nasty weather signifies a great summer on the way. This may seem backwards at first glance, but here's how it works.</p><p>It all has to do with the heating needs of the forest hag <a href="https://www.transceltic.com/blog/cailleach-great-gaelic-goddess-of-winter" target="_blank" data-vivaldi-spatnav-clickable="1">Cailleach</a>, the goddess of winter. If winter is to go on for a while, Cailleach needs more firewood. She thus spends Imbolc searching the forests for it, and since she prefers to be out in the woods on a sunny and dry day, that's what the day provides. Bad weather, on the other hand, is good news: It means that Cailleach has no need for wood, what with spring just around the corner, and has decided to stay in and snooze a bit more.</p>Goddess Brighid and St. Brigid
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8xOTE0MTU2OS9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYzMzA0MDM2Nn0.nP0vp7SwdGtFaAUML4DQRr1UlClp-MPUVhV-SKHl_eM/img.jpg?width=980" id="90fe1" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="21fbbd2aa229658c300cbe756e2b79c9" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" />A Brigid's cross. Image source: Bart Everson on Flickr
<p>The true history of how Imbolc came to its connection to St. Brigit is a little unclear.</p><p>The commonly told version is that she was preceded by the daughter of <a href="http://www.ancientpages.com/2018/06/16/god-dagda-a-powerful-leader-of-the-tuatha-de-danann-in-celtic-mythology/" target="_blank" data-vivaldi-spatnav-clickable="1">the Dagda</a> in Irish mythology. He was an early invader and one of the <a href="https://www.thoughtco.com/the-irish-legend-of-tir-na-nog-2561709" target="_blank" data-vivaldi-spatnav-clickable="1"><em>Tuatha de Danaan</em></a>. His daughter's name, "Bhrigid," is from the Celtic <em>brig</em>, for "exalted one." She was actually one of a trio, all of whom were named Bhrigid, and who were understood to represent three aspects of a single goddess. Hence, <a href="https://www.thoughtco.com/brighid-hearth-goddess-of-ireland-2561958" target="_blank" data-vivaldi-spatnav-clickable="1">Bhrigid was considered a triple goddess</a>. Bhrigid was known for looking after healers, magicians, poets, and bards, and she was gifted at divination and prophecy. She also protected pregnant women and their infants; hence contemporary Bhrigid mantles are said to protect them as well.</p><p>A flame was secretly kept burning in Bhrigid's honor at the abbey she founded in Kildare, Ireland, and this flame — and the abbey — may have helped connect her to the later Christian St. Brigit. Lisa Lawrence suggests as much when she writes, in her <a href="http://www.jstor.org/stable/20557314" target="_blank"><em>Pagan Imagery in the Early Lives of Brigit</em></a>, that,"When two religious systems interact, a shared symbol can provide a bridge from one religious idea to another. During a period of conversion, an archetypical symbol such as fire may acquire a new referent, while not being entirely emptied of a previous one. For example, the fire that clearly signifies the presence of the Holy Spirit in Saint Brigit may continue to signify pagan conceptions of religious power."</p><p>St. Brigid, on the other hand, was <a href="https://www.newgrange.com/imbolc.htm" target="_blank" data-vivaldi-spatnav-clickable="1">born in Faughart,</a> County Louth in Ireland, and died sometime around 525. She was a <a href="https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/saint/st-brigid-of-ireland-134" target="_blank" data-vivaldi-spatnav-clickable="1">devoted servant of the Church</a>, and founder of religious communities in Ireland — likely the reason she was made a saint. she's also credited with founding the same Kildare abbey allegedly built by Bhrigid, one example of how the histories of these two women have become so interwoven that they're impossible to separate. Their identities have progressively merged since goddess Bhrigid's day became St. Brigid's day after the latter's death. </p><p>Adding more confusion to the story is the apparent case that the first written reference to the goddess Bhrigid appeared in the 10th century, long after St. Brigid had become the focus of Imbolc. <a href="https://www.newgrange.com/imbolc.htm" target="_blank" data-vivaldi-spatnav-clickable="1">Newgrange.com</a> suggests, "So it could be argued that 5th century Saint Brigid predates the goddess Brigid." Or perhaps it's just a whisper of <a href="https://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2014/08/140808-outlander-scotland-orkney-islands-stonehenge-neolithic/" target="_blank" data-vivaldi-spatnav-clickable="1"><em>Outlander-style</em></a> standing-stone time travel we can add to an already a magical story. </p>We’ve been celebrating pagan holidays a long time
Some things have always been worth celebrating.
- Some lost ancient holidays aren't really so lost after all.
- All of us celebrate at least some pagan traditions whether we know it or not.
- There are two things that tend to bring humans together: crises and holidays.
Life in all its messy glory
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8xOTExOTEzNS9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY3NjQ4ODY5NH0.eBZgOy4L-QyGF4RE3IeccZ5njNdujFTAkJwYT2WCgBI/img.jpg?width=980" id="352ee" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="f3071e9dec24fb0bb1b20b7226c6275f" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" />Stonehenge sunrise. Photo credit: Tony Craddock on Shutterstock
<p>Ancient holidays tended to depict the experience of everyday people, in some places personified by major and minor deities, animals, or natural phenomenon. While each civilization enjoyed a holiday calendar that reflected its own beliefs, there were certain events that were largely universal: Holidays that marked changes of seasons, represented by different positions of the sun in the sky. Signs whose significance has been understood for a very, very long time.</p> <ul> <li>Winter solstice: December 20–23</li> <li>Vernal equinox: March 19–22</li> <li>Summer solstice: June 19–23</li> <li>Automnal equinox: September 21–24</li> </ul>Spring by any other name
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8xOTExOTE1MS9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY3MTc5MDQyMH0.pIUdtc97qwG3KLVMXmFdy8-_QJkeOPjJJcatZcZ8hXY/img.jpg?width=980" id="f8caa" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="d7ec734c90701bfc46f6e0c6efd75652" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" />O jovem Baco e seus seguidores ("The young Bacchus and his followers"). Painting by William-Adolphe Bouguereau
<p>As one would expect, the expression of these events varied from place to place. For example, during what we consider Spring:</p> <ul> <li>The Persian holiday <a href="https://www.vox.com/culture/2018/3/19/17138516/persian-new-year-nowruz-explained" target="_blank" data-vivaldi-spatnav-clickable="1">Nowruz</a> marks the start of the new year with a clearing away of the old at the vernal equinox. It dates back some 3,000 years to the <a href="https://www.history.com/topics/religion/zoroastrianism" target="_blank" data-vivaldi-spatnav-clickable="1">Zoroastrianism</a> religion.</li></ul><ul><li>Also celebrating the new year with the onset of spring were the ancient Mesopotamians, whose 5,000-year-old <a href="https://www.livius.org/articles/religion/akitu/" target="_blank" data-vivaldi-spatnav-clickable="1">Akitu</a> festival occurred during the first month of the <a href="https://www.livius.org/articles/concept/calendar-babylonian/" target="_blank" data-vivaldi-spatnav-clickable="1">Babylonian calendar</a>, likewise in the March/April time frame.</li></ul><ul> <li>In ancient Greece, March brought with it the dramatic festival of <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Great-Dionysia" target="_blank" data-vivaldi-spatnav-clickable="1">Dionyisa</a> that honored of the Greek god of wine.</li></ul><ul> <li>In pre-Christian Rome they had a similar idea, though their god of wine, Bacchus, was a <a href="https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/cocktail-conversations-dionysus-vs-bacchus/articleshow/14360911.cms" target="_blank" data-vivaldi-spatnav-clickable="1">somewhat more colorful</a>, extravagant, fertile — okay, sexual — figure, and the celebrations are believed to have <a href="https://www.rebelcircus.com/blog/bacchanalia-ancient-roman-sex-festival-wish-attended/" target="_blank" data-vivaldi-spatnav-clickable="1">reflected his demeanor</a></li></ul>What’s a pagan?
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8xOTExOTE2MC9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY3NDQzNDI5M30.ff0CSgan4Q9tYl7-oTCwLexVA88pvqVA-b01CbVgj_w/img.jpg?width=980" id="c297c" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="572fc93677a4f44e3f4206e1af224f7b" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" />The Triumph Of Christianity Over Paganism. Wow. Painting by Gustave Doré
<p>"Pagan," from the latin word <em>paganus</em>, <a href="https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/pagan" target="_blank" data-vivaldi-spatnav-clickable="1">originally described</a> followers of a particular, pre-Christian polytheistic religion. Over time, though, its meaning broadened. The <a href="https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/english/pagan" target="_blank" data-vivaldi-spatnav-clickable="1"><em>Oxford Dictionary</em></a> awards it two very different meanings. The first reflects its use as a perjorative (<em>see painting above)</em>:</p><p style="margin-left: 20px;"><em>"Belonging or relating to a religion that worships many gods, especially one that existed before the main world religions."</em></p><p>Today, the word often carries less of a sting, and in fact has been adopted proudly by some of the many people who believe that a naturalistic view more accurately represents their view of the world around them. <em>Oxford's</em> second definition: </p><p style="margin-left: 20px;"><em>"Belonging or relating to a modern religion that includes beliefs and activities that are not from any of the main religions of the world, for example the worship of nature."</em></p>Proud pagans of the 21st century
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8xOTExOTE2My9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY2NTU1NzUwOX0.4sctRhSaFHsNesyMoCMGK_Cd4F3C3kTZ3YULJ7zsWNg/img.jpg?width=980" id="a2c97" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="d98c878deb4dfb68066c0c0f83c7ab86" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" />(Big Think)
<p>Modern pagans, in a fitting echo of the original different civilizations from which their holidays have sprung, recognize a diverse range of annual celebrations throughout what they commonly view as the Wheel of the Year.</p><p>As always, the seasons rank high in importance among contemporary pagan holidays, and they have ancient-<em>sounding </em>names.</p> <ul> <li>Yule: The word "Yule" is probably a Germanic version of the Scandinavian winter solstice holiday's name, <a href="https://www.timeanddate.com/calendar/december-solstice-customs.html" target="_blank" data-vivaldi-spatnav-clickable="1">Juul</a>. As the world turned the corner toward longer days, pre-Christian Scandinavians paid tribute to <a href="https://norse-mythology.org/gods-and-creatures/the-aesir-gods-and-goddesses/thor/" target="_blank" data-vivaldi-spatnav-clickable="1">Thor</a> (pre-<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marvel_Cinematic_Universe" target="_blank" data-vivaldi-spatnav-clickable="1">MCU</a>) with the burning of the Juul log.</li> <li>Ostara: The vernal equinox is celebrated with a holiday named after <a href="https://www.goddess-guide.com/ostara.html" target="_blank" data-vivaldi-spatnav-clickable="1">Ostara</a>, the Germanic goddess of Spring. (Her name is also the basis for "Easter.") Ostara was represented by the hare and with eggs, both symbols of fertility. Ring a bell?</li> <li>Lithia: The fire festival of Lithia marks the sun's longest, and thus symbolically, most powerful day of the year. The Celts <a href="http://www.thewhitegoddess.co.uk/the_wheel_of_the_year/litha_-_summer_solstice.asp" target="_blank" data-vivaldi-spatnav-clickable="1">lit celebratory fires</a> that burned from sunset the night before Lithia until sunset of the holiday. "Lithia" is the Latin name for the June and July months, at least according to an 8th-century monk, Bede, <a href="https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/how-pagans-celebrate-litha-the-summer-solstice_us_57632742e4b015db1bc8ce5c" target="_blank" data-vivaldi-spatnav-clickable="1">who said so</a>. (We're unable to confirm this in modern Latin.)</li> <li>Mabon: The holiday name "Mabon" goes all the way back to… the 1970s. It's not an ancient pagan holiday, but a <a href="https://exemplore.com/wicca-witchcraft/Wiccan-Wheel-of-the-Year-What-is-Mabon" target="_blank" data-vivaldi-spatnav-clickable="1">modern one</a>. Mabon was the son of Welsh mythology's Mordred, who was either the <a href="https://childrenofarthur.wordpress.com/2012/05/28/mordred-and-modron-arthurs-mysterious-brothers/" target="_blank" data-vivaldi-spatnav-clickable="1">son or brother</a> of King Arthur, he of the Table Round. It's not clear.</li> </ul> <p>Quarter holidays for modern pagans are typically Imbolc, Beltane, Lughnasadh, and Samhain, a story in and of itself.</p>How a pagan holiday is reinvented: Christmas
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8xOTExOTE2NS9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY1Njk0ODcwOX0.cMj9PIk3-8p677_xGM1Ehdyk0r3CgRhPKVh2z-XBYag/img.jpg?width=980" id="25b3f" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="bbf1967a95d29c16b582770edf6003ab" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" />Image source: GJones Creative
<p>As Christianity took root, some pagan holidays were so popular that they were simply absorbed. The symbolism of an original celebration sometimes survived — as with Easter's rabbits and eggs — or a new meaning was superimposed over pre-existing festivities. Christmas is a good example. </p><p>Christmas has something to do with the birthday of Jesus, though the connection is not as direct as it might seem, and, in fact, may actually not have anything to do with him.</p><p>The earliest record of Jesus' birth puts it at January 6, though it's not entirely clear why. (The earliest Christians didn't celebrate his birth.) According to <a href="http://www.religionfacts.com/christmas#sthash.HISkqYBr.dpuf" target="_blank" data-vivaldi-spatnav-clickable="1">Religion Facts</a>, the January birth was based on his crucifixion date of April 6: It may have been "a calculation based on an assumed date of crucifixion of April 6 coupled with the ancient belief that prophets died on the same day as their conception."</p><p>The festivities had shifted to December 25 by 273 AD, perhaps to take advantage of longstanding, well-attended pagan solstice celebrations. As far as their symbolism goes, the 1922 revision of Sir James George Frazer 's <em>The Golden Bough</em> <a href="https://www.bartleby.com/196/84.html" target="_blank" data-vivaldi-spatnav-clickable="1">contains this</a> eye-popper: </p><p style="margin-left: 20px;"><em>"</em>In the Julian calendar the twenty-fifth of December was reckoned the winter solstice, and it was regarded as the Nativity of the Sun, because the day begins to lengthen and the power of the sun to increase from that turning-point of the year. The celebrants retired into certain inner shrines, from which at midnight they issued with a loud cry, "The Virgin has brought forth! The light is waxing!" The Egyptians even represented the new-born sun by the image of an infant which on his birthday, the winter solstice, they brought forth and exhibited to his worshippers<em>."</em></p><p>Sound familiar? Eventually, the existing solstice story may have simply been re-written as Jesus' nativity, his presumed birth date of January 6 being rechristened the Festival of the Epiphany. (<em>Washington Post</em> has a <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/answer-sheet/wp/2015/12/25/why-is-christmas-on-dec-25-a-brief-history-lesson-that-may-surprise-you/?utm_term=.55e42b40cad3" target="_blank" data-vivaldi-spatnav-clickable="1">great article</a> about Christmas' origins.) If the Star of Bethlehem is factual, though, it appears his birthday would have actually been in June or October, depending on the year in which he was born, which <a href="https://www.livescience.com/42976-when-was-jesus-born.html" target="_blank" data-vivaldi-spatnav-clickable="1">experts</a> believe was <em>not</em> 1 AD.<span></span></p>Old stories, good stories
<p> Some things are just obvious if one lives at a latitude where there are seasons. For as long as understanding of what it all means remains elusive, we might as well at least come together to celebrate now and then. That seems to have been the conclusion, anyway, of ancient humankind. It still seems a pretty good plan today.</p>Why giving gifts brings you more happiness than receiving them
New psychology research suggests people get more lasting joy from giving gifts.
- Giving gifts results in longer happiness from the act, says new research.
- We can sustain the pleasure of a new experience every time we give to others.
- Hedonic adaptation makes it hard to continuously enjoy spending money on ourselves.
Lovers exchange gifts beneath a decorated Christmas tree. December 1955.
Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images.
Conversation tips for surviving the holidays and savoring time with family
This holiday season, ask the questions you don't know the answer to.
Sometimes, you just can't relate to your relatives. Whether it's sports, politics, or past events, gathering around a dinner table during the holiday season can be a daunting prospect. Communication expert Angie McArthur explains some of her cardinal rules for connecting with your family and friends, and she identifies one of the biggest errors people make: asking the wrong questions. The root of the word 'question' is 'quest', as in endeavoring to know something—but how often is that really our motivation? As society reaches a new peak of polarization, in tense moments we may find ourselves asking questions just to prove our own points correct, which Angie McArthur explains are called leading questions. There is a more powerful method you can use: open questions, which are fueled by genuine curiosity, connection, and lead to a meaningful exchange. Chief among her tips, McArthur advises that this holiday season, you ask the questions you *don't* already know the answer to. Keeping these tips in mind, you might not merely survive the holidays—you might actually enjoy them. Angie McArthur is the co-author of Reconcilable Differences: Connecting in a Disconnected World.
A Finger-Lickin' Good Christmas, and a Well-Examined New Year
There are many strange instances of marketing and holiday traditions coming together. Let's be more alert in 2017.
