Imbolc (winters end)

[Gray-Wolf]

Well, winters worst is behind us and spring awaits. I know the Christianised version of this leaves us with Valantines day/Pancake day (and their own shrove Tuesday/lent) but do you 'feel' the change?

We have Sahmain to mark our descent into winter, then Solstice, and now the end of the 'worst' of the dark and cold,'Imbolc'.

In past times folk enjoyed the first of the 'new meat' as lambs tails were docked (and went into the pot) but in todays world of year round feast do you mark this passage into lighter nights and promise of the year ahead?

[snefnug]

Interesting that Lent would coincide with the lean months - your meat stores would be mostly eaten, hens just beginning to lay and still relying on the root crops while new seeds are planted (in Northern Europe at least). I wonder which church official came up with that idea and was he based in Byzantium or Rome - where there would be more fruit and vegetables ripening?

Re Imbolc - my druidic friends celebrate that on Feb 1 - but I suppose today is the beginning of Feb on the pre gregorian calendar run.

Much prefer the thought of celebrating the arrival of spring than sackcloth and ashes.

[4wd]

The great difference is light levels, From November through January the sun is so low, weak and frequently obscured.

It's very noticeable if you are into photography too.

By mid Feb there is some warming power again.

[Essan]

Sun doesn't rise at Essan for another week or so - that's the real start of Spring

[disco-barry]

They have an Imbolc festival in Marsden near the tunnel end in, i guess you know about it Gray-Wolf?

[Jax]

Being of "spiritual" persuasion, I am way happy at the current "direction" we are taking.

and yes well addressed to the idea and it's celebration.

bring it on

[Methuselah]

The great difference is light levels, From November through January the sun is so low, weak and frequently obscured.

It's very noticeable if you are into photography too.

By mid Feb there is some warming power again.

And, last summer, the sun was high, strong and frequently obscured.

[Azores Hi]

I love these ancient pagan timetables of the year. I first started to get interested when I got married on the the 1st August and found out that this was Lammas day in the old calendar.

To me these ancient festivals have much more meaning than any of the Christian festivals which basically usurped the old festivals and made them their own.

I love this time of year and find great delight in seeing the first of the spring flowers, especially if they happen to be poking their heads above the snow!

[Gray-Wolf]

I think it's a grand idea to have a regular excuse for a shindig!

I do also enjoy stopping to mark the time of years also and used to be pretty pee'd that the christians did in so many of our ancient traditions in favour of their desert creed so we lost a lot of our 'natural ' connection to our landscape and it's traditions.

I suppose , in reality, I need to be more pee'd off with the Romans who commited genocide upon the stewards of the old religion and left us only the pale reflections of the origional depth and meaning of that tradition.

I heard once that there was an isolated Northumberland village that still had a near intact version of the Old ways but that they were kept secret while their traditions were recorded? I wonder if there was any truth in that?