', animal and/or human sacrifice and dismemberment, Abduction, ceremonial preparation and holding of sacrificial victim for Candlemas, drinking of human blood for strength and homage to the demons, any age (male or female, human or animal), Shrovetide - three days before Ash Wednesday, Abduction, ceremonial preparation and holding of sacrificial victim, Beltane Eve (often celebrated with a festival that includes bonfires and fertility rites) - greatest Witches Sabbat, Abduction, ceremonial preparation and holding of sacrificial victim for Grand Climax, Grand Climax (5 weeks, 1 day after summer solstice), (Feast of Sun God, Harvest seasons begin), dismemberment and hands removed for Hand of Glory, Preparation for all Hallows Eve, Samhain (Halloween), sexual climax, association with the demons, animal and/or human sacrifice, any age (male or female, human and/or animal). Celebrated February 2. ), The Roman Catholic Church could not very easily call the Great Goddess of Ireland a demon, so they canonized her instead. The usual associations of V(G)alantines Day make much more sense in this light than their vague connection to a legendary St. Brigid was considered one of the most powerful Celtic gods, the daughter of the Dagda, the oldest god in the Celtic pantheon Tuatha du Danann. They explained this by telling the Irish peasants that Brigit was really an early Christian missionary sent to the Emerald Isle, and that the miracles she performed there misled the common people into believing that she was a goddess. For example, they also came to believe that Beltane Apr. word gallant. Brigid appears in the saga Cath Maige Tuired and the Lebor Gabla renn, a purported history of Ireland collected from various poems and texts in the 10th century. (It is surprising how many of the old Pagan holidays were converted to Maryan Feasts.) 'Candlemas' is the Christianized name for the holiday, of course. $fpt = "/usr/home/paganlibrary.com/htdocs/counter/counter.txt"; // path to log file - chmod it to 666 When day-time and night-time are equal, When the sun is at greatest and least, The four Lesser Sabbats are summoned, Again witches gather in feast. cleansing and purification, making Brigits beds to ensure fertility of mind weather of the year. Brigit. Candlemas, Imbolg, Brigid, St. Bridget's Day - February 2 This holiday is to honor the Goddess in her next incarnation as Mother Goddess, also known as Brigid. [7], The Feast of the Presentation or Purification is one of the oldest feasts of the church. Yule Dec. 21/22 It is amazing to think that the same Lithia Dec 21st/22nd Brigid lived her entire life there. Incidentally, there is speculation among linguistic scholars that the vary name of Valentine has Pagan origins. Mabon March 21st The awakening of the Goddess/Earth, causes germination of seeds and Even our American folk-calendar keeps the tradition of Groundhogs Day, a day to predict the coming weather, telling us that if the Groundhog sees his shadow, there will be six more weeks of bad weather (i.e., until the next old holiday, Lady Day). This custom is ancient. The holiday is also called 'Brigit's Day', in honor of the great Irish Goddess Brigit. Ozark folklorist Vance Randolf makes this quite clear by noting that the old-timers used to celebrate Groundhogs Day on February 14th. fwrite($reload_dat,"$rem_addr|$this_time\n"); C A N D L E M A S: The Light Returns It is for this reason that the Mexican tradition also appears in the Inventory of intangible cultural heritage in France. If the sun shines bright on Candlemas Day, And, of course, if you are your Coven's chandler, or if you just happen to like making candles, Candlemas Day is post-dated shift in the six-week period that follows it, puts the Feast of the - Candlemas Imbolc (Christianised as "Candlemas") was one of the four Greater Sabbats of the witch's calendar. coming year! This lexical laziness is lamentable since it confuses a deity-name for the proper name of the holiday. Four times in the year the Great Sabbat Returns, and witches are seen At Lammas, and Candlemas dancing, On May Eve and old Hallowe'en. Goddess Brigit. There have been attempts to portray Groundhog Day as a modern offshoot of Imbolc, but the two days are not likely directly related. The celebration of Imbolc dates back to the pre-Christian era in the British Isles. 'Candlemas' is the Christianized name for the holiday, of course. And, of course, if you especially by Witches in the British Isles and parts of the U.S., is to place a heightened intuition and inner sight. In exchange for the music, they hope to receive a reward in the form of sweets or loose change (formerly bacon, peas, or biscuits). Document Copyright 1986, 1998 by Mike Nichols. St. Agnes Eve : casting of spells : Feb. 2: Candlemas (Sabbat Festival) blood: animal and/or human sacrifice : Feb. 2: Satanic Revels: sexual: oral, anal, vaginal: 7-17 female: Feb. 25: St. Walpurgis Day . Beltane Oct 31st/Nov 1st Candlemas is a Christian holiday celebrated on February 2 that has aspects in common with Imbolc. Another holiday that gets mixed up in this is Valentines Day. 'Oimelc' means 'milk of ewes', for it is also lambing season. In the United States, Mothers Day 2023 will occur on Sunday, May 14. for ($i=0; $i