Whatever you want to call it, the festival of Imbolg is rapidly approaching for those of us who celebrate it.

For me, it is the beginnings of spring - yes, it is still cold and icy, and maybe we're still having the worst weather of the year, but the green is returning, the trees are beginning to leaf, the witch hazel has put out yellow flowers, the snowdrops are pushing their head through the frozen ground. The Crone of Winter hands her crown to the Maiden of Spring, and the seeds of the harvest to be reaped at Lammas are sown now.

Do you mark Imbolg in your path? What do you call it? What is its symbolism to you? How will you mark it this year?

I look on Imbolc as the new year, being, as you've said, the time to plant the first seeds of the cycle. So it's a very important sabbat for me. I use it too, to "waken up" the spirits of my fruit trees by wassailing them (I know that it's traditionally done about 6th January - but it seemed cruel as it was thick with snow!). So I'll be marking Imbolc by making a racket round the trees, pouring cider and hanging toast dipped in honey on the branches as a "bribe" to the Devas to waken and make the tree fruitful! And I always try and make it a "dairy" day too, just in keeping with the thought of nurture and nourishment for the new lambs etc. It's too cold just yet to plant any seeds outside, but I'll plant something indoors that I can plant out later on. It's just the thought of being able to start thinking about getting out into the garden and so on again. I'm looking forward to it!

One of my favourites this! My birthday Sabbat and a fire sabbat so very very big for Esk the pyro! I don't care what it's called, although I tend to go for Imbolc as that was the first name I knew it by and will be celebrating my first one with a garden this year. Ok, the garden isn't actually mine but it's there and I can do stuff with it. I tend to light as many candles as I can get my mitts on and cook up some nice spicy food and bake some bread! Any path stuff I do tends to get worked out a little nearer to the time, I like the honesty of sponteneity

Well I refer to it as Imbolc or occaisionally Oimelc (love that name) but think of it as Candlemas. I see it as the sign of light returning and life reawakening. Don't do much to mark any of the sabbats, just a simple ritual, as I feel its more a case of seeing and appreciating the changes in the year. However I will use milk as my ritual toast

I mark Imbolc although it isn't part of the Vodou calendar. My patron loa, Maman Brigitte, has her historical roots in the Celtic goddess Brighid/Brigid/Bride; she was assimilated into the Vodou pantheon through stories told about her by indentured Irish and Scottish servants in Haiti. Now Brighid, of course, was hijacked by the Christians and turned into Saint Bridget, so I look upon my marking of Imbolc/St Brigid's day as a reclaiming - albeit a circuituous one - of Brigitte's original roots.

As for what I'll do on Imbolc itself, I'm really not sure yet. I'll probably do a ritual house cleansing.

I think of it as Imbolc but that may be because that is the only name I know for it so far!
I won't do a ritual but on the day I'll light a candle just as a way of marking the occasion and I'm having a big spring clean (started today...amazing what you find ) and going to get a nice house plant too, and make it my aim to keep it alive...and that's about it for me.

In Steiner schools it's candlemas, and Bridget is mentioned. I have heard stories of Bridget as a saint, but presumably she is older than the RC pantheon?
This year I am going to plant some chestnuts in large pots as an intention. I am still looking for woodland to buy.

Oh yes, considerably older. There's loads of information available on the Goddess Bride who was beloved in Ireland and in parts of Scotland. So well-loved was she that the Church found it impossible to demonise Her and instead turned Her from Goddess into saint which was more acceptable to their way of thinking.

Daft joke:

Q: How do pagans buy their candles?
A: Imbolc

It's Imbolc for me, mainly because it was the first name I ever came across it as. It reminds me a lot of Divali, guess it's all the candles. i see it as being a festival of lights, so lots of candles lit, as well as new ones bought for the following year. I was hoping to make some this year, but the finance faeries conspired against me to make me skint. So that's gonna have to wait til next year. But I'm gonna attempt making bread this year. Should be entertaining if nothing else!

Not gonna be able to do too much on the night, possibly go for a drink or 2 with Eris, but I'm planning on a nice lil woodland type walk at the weekend.

I was at an imbolc ritual on sunday, which was held up in the Lickey hills and was very good, though a bit too much chanting for my tastes (I can't sing, even my clapping is out of time).

I will probably celebrate the date on my own or with the mister- Imbolc always seems very much like a new start to me, almost a new year. We will light a candle and think and talk about the things that that we wish to leave behind us. Then we will blow out the candle and light a new one, for the plans and dreams that we have, and maybe plant some seeds to mark their growth and eventual success.

To me at Candlemass it's the first signs of spring, but also it's very noticeable that the suns rising a little bit earlier each day. Really noticeable this morning at 7.30 when it seemed it was as light as it was at 7.45 last week.

Kinda did mine a bit early on sat last by planting a rowan and weeding, putting in some primroses and generally tidying up the garden! A hearty chat with Gaia does wonders for my soul and yes Imbolc is the herald of spring for me, when the shoots are beginning to show, the daffodils are nearly through in my garden! Mid week is a toughie for getting down to ritual but I may bribe Niord into a fire in the chimnea and some spicy foods !

I tend to consider Imbolc as the first day of spring too, or perhaps more as a welcoming of spring's immiinent return. I dont' tend to do huge rituals, rather, I'll light candels on my alter, maybe think about things I want to do or situations I want to improve in the coming months, and just spend some time being quiet and reflective.

In my experience you can call her Bride, Brigid/Brighid, Saint Bridget or Maman Brigitte, she doesn't seem to mind ;-)

It's Imbolc for me and a walk through the woods just saying hi to everyone and welcome back.I like your style, any chance of a small votive in a Catholic Church or am I being too mean to them. I wonder how many of them know of the real Briggite/Bride.

Heeheh Dave, I say go for it. Very honourable Vodou tradition, that, hiding paganism in plain sight...