Happy Imbolc!

February 4, 2021

Earlier this week was Imbolc. My Instagram feed was filled with a cornucopia of wonderful accounts marking this ages-old, pre-Christian seasonal celebration.

Celebrated to mark the halfway point between winter solstice and spring equinox, I didn’t realize its Gaelic origins till I googled it. One of my waxing interests is my genealogy and ancestral heritage. And Gaelic is in that mix.

As I'm exploring my heritage, I'm hoping to bring more awareness and intention to my everyday life of the rituals, beliefs, and celebrations - the culture - of my ancestors. I can't say I'll incorporate a bunch of feasts or activities, making ordinary days "special" is not my strength, and frankly is quite stressful for me. I prefer "ordinary" ordinary days, and find great comfort in them. But I'm totally down for bonfires and I imagine myself, in my future cabin in the woods, making bonfires every chance I get.

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In the present day, Imbolc collided with my once a month Costco trip and the first snowstorm of February. I organized and cleaned the fridge, sorted the pantry to make a grocery list, shovelled the driveway so I could get the car out, braved a snowstorm to drive to the store, shopped (I had to go through the till and unload to my car 2 times cuz’ I couldn’t fit everything in one cart-load), drove back home, hacked frost from the freezer to have space for the food, and put away groceries until 9pm.

Happy Imbolc!

But also not. Imbolc is a festival that marks the beginning of spring.

Spring!

This is where I part ways with my Gaelic ancestral heritage and lean into my Nordic Scandinavian roots. I have zero interest in Spring right now. It’s just starting feel like honest-to-goodness winter!

I observe the days are getting longer, and I’m mostly grateful for that. But I already miss the incredible sense of hibernating cozy I feel watching the sun set at 3:30pm, and January’s crystalline brilliance contrasted with the deep blue of shadows on snow. Some of my favorite natural beauty and feelings of well-being are associated with winter.

Thanks, but no thanks. Spring can wait.

Originally published on Instagram