Imbolc
Imbolc is one of the four principal festivals of the Celtic calendar, celebrated either at the beginning of February or at the
first local signs of Spring. Originally dedicated to the goddess Brighid, in the Christian period it was adopted as St Brigid's Day.
 In Scotland the festival is also known as LathaFhèillBrìghde, in Ireland as
           LáFhéile Bríde, and in Wales as GwylFfraed.

    Fire and purification is considered by many to be an important aspect of this festival. Brigid (also known as Brighid, Bríde,
   Brigit, Brìd) is the Goddess of poetry, healing and smith craft. As both goddess and saint she is also
   associated with holy wells, sacred flames, and healing. To some, the lighting of candles and fires represents the return of
                     warmth and the increasing power of the Sun over the coming months.

   Imbolc is traditionally a time of weather prognostication, and the old tradition of watching to see if serpents or badgers came
                       from their winter dens is perhaps a precursor to Groundhog Day.

Punxsutawney Phil

 Groundhog Day, celebrated across the United States and Canada, on February 2, is purely a
  North American tradition. It is based on a belief that- on this day (February 2) the groundhog, or woodchuck, comes out of
  hole after winter hibernation to look for its shadow. If the shadow is seen, it's a sunny day. And the groundhog foretells 'six
   more weeks of bad weather' and thus a lingering winter. But spring is coming if no shadow is seen because of clouds. The
  groundhog then behaves accordingly. It goes back into the hole if the weather turns bad, but stays above ground if spring is
 near. The earliest known American reference to Groundhog Day can be found at the Historical Society of Berks County in
              Reading, Pa. The reference was made Feb. 4, 1841 in Morgantown, Berks County (Pennsylvania)
 storekeeper James Morris' diary: "Last Tuesday, the 2nd, was Candlemas day, the day on which, according to the Germans,
  the Groundhog peeps out of his winter quarters and if he sees his shadow he pops back for another six weeks nap, but if the
  day be cloudy he remains out, as the weather is to be moderate." In the U.S. the tradition derives from a
                                         Scottish poem:

                                      As the light grows longer

                                      The cold grows stronger

                                   If Candlemas be fair and bright

                                    Winter will have another flight

                                   If Candlemas be cloud and rain

                                Winter will be gone and not come again

                                  A farmer should on Candlemas day

                                  Have half his corn and half his hay

                                On Candlemas day if thorns hang a drop

                                  You can be sure of a good pea crop

  This tradition may have its origins in the Christian Candlemas celebration. There is an old European supposition that a sunny
                       Candlemas day would lead the winter to last for 'another six weeks'.

   Candlemas, also celebrated on Feb 2, is the last holiday of the Christmas season. Candlemas is a Christian celebration, or
  festival, of the Feast of Purification of the Virgin Mary. It also celebrates the annual blessing of candles used by the church.

The holiday is also called 'Brigit's Day'. There are two Brigids in the Celtic world, the
Goddess Brigid often thought of as the Great Goddess, and St. Brigid of Kildare. Because of the legendary quality of the earliest accounts of Saint Brigid, there is debate among many scholars and even faithful Christians as to the literal historicity of her life. Some insist that Brigid the goddess was made a saint simply to convert Celtic pagans to Christianity, although most historians say that she was a real person whose life was embellished by imaginative hagiographers. Others point to the relic of her head, which Portuguese pilgrims took from her shrine at Downpatrick and brought back to their homeland some time in the 15th Century; the relic now resides in a chapel consecrated to its veneration at Lumier

 Many traditions have sprung up around Brigids day. One folk tradition that continues in in some areas of Ireland is that of the Brigid's Bed. The girls and young, unmarried women of the household or village create a corn dolly to represent Brigid, called the Brideog ("little Brigid" or "young Brigid"), adorning it with ribbons and baubles like shells or stones. They make a bed for the Brideog to lay in. On St. Brigid's Eve (Jan. 31), the girls and young women gather together in one house to stay up all night with the Brideog, and are later visited by all the young men of the community who must ask permission to enter the home, and then treat them and the corn dolly with respect.

On the following day, the girls carry the Brideog through the village or neighborhood, from house to house, where this representation of the Saint/goddess is welcomed with great honor. Adult women - those who are married or who run a household - stay home to welcome the Brigid procession, perhaps with an offering of coins or a snack. Since Brigid represents the light half of the year and the power that will bring people from the dark season of winter into spring, her presence is very important at this time of year. St Brigid of Kildare Similar to the association between St. Patrick and the shamrock, a tiny cross made of rushes was linked with St. Brigid.
Legend has it she made the cross from rushes she found on the ground beside a dying man in order to convert him. Some houses in Ireland have a Brigid's Cross; it is a commonly believed by some that a Brigid's Cross protects the house from fire. A new cross is made each St Brigid's Day, February 1, and the old one is then burned to keep the fire from the house.

Brigids Cross