Imbolc 2025

After the sparkle of the winter holidays, many look outward into gray. But as the days grow longer, the hint of warmth appears—and on the first weekend of February, Imbolc arrives.

Across Detroit, artists, musicians, poets, and organizers are reclaiming the Celtic holiday Imbolc. It’s grown into an intradependent network of events that honors the start of spring with music, food, and gathering on the first weekend of February.

Nine public events across the city are planned across five days from January 30, 2025, to February 3, 2025. Visitors are encouraged to visit one, a few, or all—whether or not they’re religious, pagan, agnostic, or something entirely different. There’s a workshop on how to store seeds over the winter best, a supper club, a communal jam session at 27th Letter Books, spoken poetry over electronic music generated by weather data, a mindfulness session that teaches visitors how to access expanded states of awareness, and even a classic Detroit underground rave.

About the holiday

The Celtic holiday of Imbolc marks the halfway point between the Winter Solstice (Yule) and Spring Equinox (Ostara). Literally translating to “in the belly” in Gaelic, it is the name of the holiday indigenous to the Celtic peoples across Ireland and Scotland. The holiday has its roots tied to livestock breeding, planting for the year’s harvest, and honoring Brigid, a queer goddess of healing, poetry, wisdom, and smithing—whose lore includes performing ritual abortions.

The advent of Christianity and the English colonization of Ireland and Scotland sanitized, spayed, and stripped the holiday of its ancient roots. The closest equivalent in the United States is Groundhog’s Day. 

In other words, we replaced a female goddess with a groundhog.

How you can celebrate

If you can’t attend any public events, you can celebrate Imbolc at home!

Often held the day between the winter solstice and spring equinox (usually the first weekend of February), Imbolc is a festival native to the Gaelic and Celtic peoples across Ireland and Scotland. It is one of the four fire festivals that mark the passing of the seasons—one of which includes Halloween, or Samhain—as the year progresses.

While traditions across Pagan, Neo-Pagan, Druidism, and other belief systems vary, it’s often agreed upon that the event marks the early start of spring. Armed with an intimate knowledge of animal and plant cycles, early Imbolc celebrators likely used the festival to demarcate the ideal time for planting seeds, breeding livestock, and preparing food for the year. Whether you’re a follower of these belief systems or not, it’s a perfect excuse to bring friends and family together during the cold months.

Some ideas to celebrate include:

• Light candles near each of your home’s windows to welcome the sun’s warm return.

• Make a traditional Brigid’s cross with reeds or other forms of greenery.

• Host a potluck for 20 people and screen a friend’s film.

• Plan a night of reading or speaking poetry with your friends, book club, or roommates.

• Imbolc often celebrates dairy; wake a warm stew or chowder and drop it off to neighbors.

• Learn more about Brigid, and reflect on how you can celebrate spring.

• Use this guide to craft your own moment of reflection.