Imbolc, candlemass, pagan art, wiccan decor, wheel of the year, celtic art, mythological art, wiccan art prints, pagan altar decor, etsy artists, witchy art, witch shops, art nouveau, magical art, Emily Balivet, 

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IMBOLC / CANDLEMASS
Wheel of the year / Pagan sabbat art

 

OIL PAINTING IN PROGRESS 

 

OIL PAINTING IN PROGRESS

 

 


Imbolc, Candlemass, Oil on Canvas, 76 cm x 61 cm

 

 

 

 

IMBOLC / CANDLEMASS
Winters end

TRADITIONAL DATES :
Northern Hem: February 2 .
Southern Hem: August 1st or 2nd .
Astrological dates vary annually.

IMBOLC: SOME KEY POINTS:

  • Imbolc or Imbolg also called (Saint) Brigid's Day is a Gaelic traditional festival marking the end of winter.

  • Imbolc is mentioned in early Irish literature, and there is evidence suggesting it was also an important date in ancient times. It is believed that Imbolic was originally a pagan festival associated with the goddess Brigid, and that it was Christianized as a festival of Saint Brigid, who is thought to be a Christianization of the goddess.
  • At Imbolc, Brigid's crosses and a doll-like figure of Brigid–called a Brídeóg–were made. The figure would then be paraded from house-to-house by girls, and sometimes accompanied by 'strawboys'. Brigid was said to visit one's home at Imbolc. To receive her blessings, people would make a bed for Brigid and leave her food and drink, and items of clothing would be left outside for her to bless. Brigid was also invoked to protect homes and livestock. People participated in special feasts and visits to holy wells, and it was a time for divination.
  • Imbolc, in the Celtic seasonal calendar marks the beginning of the lambing season and signals the beginning of Spring and the stirrings of new life. It is Feile Brighde, the 'quickening of the year'. The original word Imbolg means 'in the belly'. All is pregnant and expectant - and only just visible if at all, like the gentle curve of a 'just-showing' pregnancy. It is the promise of renewal, of hidden potential, of earth awakening and life-force stirring. Here is hope. We welcome the growth of the returning light and witness Life's insatiable appetite for rebirth.




 









Imbolc – Candlemas: Winter’s End, with the Goddess Brigid

A celebration of returning light, fertility and new beginnings, Imbolc traditionally falls around 1 February and marks the first stirrings of spring after the darkness of winter. In Irish tradition, St Brigid’s Day became closely associated with these older seasonal customs, with Brigid representing protection, fertility, healing and the renewal of the land. Families traditionally made St Brigid’s Crosses from rushes or straw and placed them in homes and farm buildings for blessing and protection; the festival was also connected with the fertility of crops, animals and the household.

 In this richly detailed Art Nouveau-inspired oil painting, Brigid gently scatters seeds across the earth, awakening the sleeping landscape and symbolising the promise of everything yet to bloom. Around her are lambs, candles, mountains, growing fields and intricate Celtic-inspired motifs, creating a visual story of winter giving way to spring.

Like a guardian of the threshold between seasons, Brigid reminds us that even when the earth appears dormant, new life is quietly taking root beneath the surface. A print of Imbolc can bring this uplifting symbolism into a home, creative space or altar—a beautiful reminder to plant your intentions, nurture new beginnings, welcome returning light and have faith in what is still growing unseen.