The light is changing. It might still feel bitterly cold and bleak outside, but snowdrops, crocuses and the occasional daffodils have already poked their heads out of the earth. For those who study the clock, it is staying lighter a little longer each evening. The signs are there if you look, winter is almost beat, and spring waits quietly in the wings.
Across Sussex, there are quiet and ancient celebrations, perhaps not Sussex in origin but certainly by adoption, and they help us celebrate the ritual of the seasonal year.
Imbolc
Imbolc is a Gaelic festival normally held on 1 February and marking the halfway point between the Winter Solstice and Spring Equinox. It’s one of four main seasonal festivals, the others being Beltane (1 May), Lughnasadh (1 August) and Samhain (1 November). Probably a pre-Christian festival, it is associated with lambing, longer days, the beginning of spring and spring planting. It is also sometimes known as Saint Brigid’s Day and some celebrate by honouring the goddess Brigid and making Brigid dolls or crosses from rushes to bless the home. Brigid (or Bríde) is a Celtic goddess associated with fertility, fire, healing, poetry and craftsmanship.
Imbolc customs traditionally focus on purification and preparation. Homes were cleaned, wells were visited and offerings were left to invite blessings for health, creativity and abundance. Fires and candles were lit in honour of returning light. Amen to that.
Candlemas
Candlemas is celebrated on 2 February. It is the 40th day since Christmas and brings to a close the Epiphany season. Traditionally, it is a time when church candles are blessed for the year ahead and some celebrate by putting lit candles in their windows or by walking with a lit, blessed candle around the house for protection and to represent the returning light. This Christian tradition also marks the Presentation of Jesus at the Temple and the ritual purification of Mary. In Medieval England, it was associated with clearing away Christmas greenery, settling rents and preparing land for spring sowing.
Weather folklore
Weather folklore plays a strong role in Candlemas traditions. A bright, sunny Candlemas was thought to predict a longer winter, an idea perhaps echoed in Groundhog Day in North America. One English rhyme declares:
“If Candlemas be fair and bright, Winter will have another flight;
If Candlemas brings clouds and rain, Winter will not come again.”
Marking the moment
Imbolc and Candlemas are not uniquely Sussex traditions, far from it. But that makes them nonetheless worthy of note. They are a time when snowdrops (sometimes referred to as “Candlemas bells”) are often the first sign of the spring that awaits.
At the Weald and Downland Living Museum, the Black Knight Historical Living History Team will celebrate their Candlemas Residency (31 January to 8 February) with an immersive experience representing 15th century life at this time of year. They will be marking various feast days, cooking, attending to tasks and demonstrating skills.
Across Sussex, various yoga teachers and retreats will celebrate Imbolc, with peaceful celebrations at the Sheelagh Na Gig Eco Lodge in Rodmell, an Earth Rhythms Workshop at the Yoga Garden in Horsham and even an Imbolc Dance weekend at Laughton.
But for most Sussex folk, this time of year is a chance to breathe a sigh of relief. Winter might not be gone quite yet, but brighter times are ahead.
