Event overview
Celebrating the turning of the wheel with Wassail and Imbolc fire festival, one of the cornerstones of the ancient Celtic calendar which marks the start of the farming season.
WAES HAEL! DRINC HAEL! Join us to bless the trees and scare away the demons.
From the Anglo-Saxon wæs þu hæl meaning "be thou hale", we are delighted to announce that we will be holding a wassailing ceremony at 4pm on Thursday 2 February at the Goldsmiths Allotments (next to Print Services and behind Anthropology) to bless the apple trees, waken the tree sprits and to scare away the demons.
Wassailing is an ancient ceremony in the Northern hemisphere that involves going to orchards in mid-winter and singing to the trees to scare away demons and encourage fruitfulness in the year to come. We will be making offerings to the trees in the form of cake, mead and apple juice (and having some ourselves), and decorating the trees with ribbons.
Imbolc (pronounced 'im'olk' ) is Old Irish for “in the belly.” It’s also known as Oimelc, Lady Day, and, in Christianity, Candlemas or St. Brigid’s Day. Traditionally, Imbolc represents the beginning of spring and the time when the first lambs are born. It’s the time of the year associated with pregnancy, and is the time to honour the fertility goddess Brigid.
As the days lengthen bit by bit, Imbolc is around the time this change really starts to show. The end of the day has noticeably more light, even though the trees and grass are still in winter’s grip.
The divine spark that was born in midwinter is growing, and nature is beginning to wake up. Remember the intentions for the new year you made? Now is the time to clear the way for them to grow, symbolically, and maybe literally!
Imbolc was one of the cornerstones of the Celtic calendar. For them the success of the new farming season was of great importance. As winter stores of food were getting low, Imbolc rituals were performed to harness divine energy that would ensure a steady supply of food until the harvest six months later.
Like many Celtic festivals, the Imbolc celebrations centred around the lighting of fires. Fire was perhaps more important for this festival than others as it was also the holy day of Brigid (also known as Bride, Brigit, Brid), the Goddess of fire, healing and fertility. The lighting of fires celebrated the increasing power of the Sun over the coming months. For the Christian calendar, this holiday was reformed and renamed 'Candlemas' when candles are lit to remember the purification of the Virgin Mary.
Bring cider/mead/ale/apple juice and food to share, stories and poems, instruments or items to make noise, plus your singing and shouting voices!
Free event, all welcome
Image: https://www.thewitchandwand.com/post/imbolc-candle-ritual
Dates & times
| Date | Time | Add to calendar |
|---|---|---|
| 2 Feb 2023 | 4:00pm - 5:30pm |
Accessibility
If you are attending an event and need the College to help with any mobility requirements you may have, please contact the event organiser in advance to ensure we can accommodate your needs.
