Imbolc is one of the first major festivals of the calendar year.

It was originally associated with the goddess Brighid of the Tuatha De Danann. (Her name can be spelled many different ways.)

The name Imbolc (pronounced like “imm-MELK”) sometimes appears as Oimelc and Imbolg (“imm-BOLK”), as well as other spellings.

Imbolc refers to the lactation of the ewes. Today, we celebrate the day on February 1st.  However, the date has varied from community to community.

The date of the festival was based on when farmers saw the milk coming in with their own sheep. Generally, this was within about two weeks of the start of February.

The milk signals the approach of spring and the birth of new life. However, winter is not fully over, so household fires are kept lit day and night, in the tradition of Brighid, who was both a goddess and a saint.

It’s important to understand that gods and goddesses in the Irish Celtic tradition aren’t exactly deity. They may be larger-than-life in the stories, but they’re still very human and make mistakes. These “gods” and “goddesses” are not worshipped, but they are respected and sometimes held in awe.

It’s also important to understand that Irish history and legend are the same thing. The stories from history are told with richness and color, and this sometimes leads people to think that they’re myths. However, there is considerable archaeological evidence to support the stories as based on fact, if not entirely literal history.

Generally, the Irish don’t think that it’s particularly important to separate the actual events from the way the stories are told; they’re all Irish heritage, and have significance.

(It’s like Santa Claus: You don’t have to know the life of the real St. Nicholas, to enjoy the holiday. In fact, some people regard Santa Claus as an allegory for a loving God.)

Many people believe that the Tuatha De Danann are still with us, in the faerie world. Some say they are living under the surface of the earth.

Brighid and her two sisters, also named Brighid, represent goddesses of poetry, healing, and smithcraft. The goddess for which the day is named is the one who married Breas (temporary leader of the Tuatha de Danann). This Brighid was the mother of Ruadhan, who was killed in battle.

There is a strong tradition in Celtic history, where three sisters or three brothers might all have the same name. When you find things in threes (or multiples of threes) in Celtic history, it usually suggests something spiritual or magical.

Brighid’s blessings were revered in Ireland, and she is one of the few goddesses whose history and lore remained mostly intact as her identity was applied to a Catholic saint of the same name.