Back to the Light at Last!

lmbolc and Candlemas celebrations in Tregaron.

Even for those of us who now live in towns, insulated from the dark of winter by street lights and other light ‘pollution’, the return of the sun to the northern hemisphere cannot but bring a tingle of joy. Though the solstice, celebrated by many Pagan people even today as the beginning of the new year, was back in December, for most of us the returning of the light is subtle, hard to notice. It’s only when the detritus of the great winter festivals of Christmas and New Year is cleared away, that we begin to realise the season turning.

However, for people living for the most of human history without a ready, reliable source of instant light, this revelation must have carried with it an overwhelming relief and optimism. They had survived the worst ravages of winter and there was hope that better times were on the way. Ironically, late winter/ early spring, were often the leanest of times for people depending on subsistence agriculture. Though last year’s harvest would have been dried, salted or pickled; fresh vegetables stored in pits in the ground lined with straw to help preserve them and the meat from animals which couldn’t be cared for over the winter carefully processed; by February, not much would be left and some of that would be inedible.

Even so, the season was marked by celebration. The Celtic festival of Imbolc on the first of February marked the awakening of spring growth after the dark winter months. It celebrated the lengthening of days, the first buds and shoots of green plants, the birth of lambs and the letting down of milk. In later times this day became the festival of St Brighid, a very important figure in early Christianity and in Gaelic language communities until modern times. Brighid is an enigmatic figure, with links to an original pre-Christian goddess, but also a real person who ran a female monastic settlement at Kildare in Ireland. She is the patron of saint of fire and of healing wells, of cattle and sheep and of midwives. She blesses and presides over the birth of animals and of us humans, and was even adopted into the Roman Catholic church as the midwife who was present at the birth of Christ. She, along with Jesus and the Virgin Mary, was invoked in prayers throughout the Celtic world, particulary those pertaining to birth, dairy activities and domestic life. Holy wells are dedicated to her in all the Celtic countries and their waters are believed to have healing properties. Even the Anglican church has preserved a vestige of her veneration in the feast of Candlemas, held on the 2nd of February. In Wales she is known as St. Ffraid and there are many ancient churches and wells dedicated to her. Near Swyddffynnon is an ancient healing well called Ffynnon Ffraid, reputedly built by the monks of Strata Florida, and on the seashore at Llanon is the church of St Ffraid, still in use for regular worship.

Burdened as we now are by the terrible news of environmental destruction, extinctions and dangerous changes to our climate, more and more we seek actively to celebrate the positive; celebrate hope. Between 2 and 4 pm on Saturday the fourth of February, The Welsh Gold Centre in Tregaron marked the return of spring with a free, live event. Celtic specialist Rhiannon Evans and I conjured up past spring traditions and there were light refreshments, free gifts (gifts on a ‘first come, first served basis!) and, for the full 28 days of February, there’ll be 28% off many gifts and jewellery in store. All were welcome to come and cast off winter with no booking required. Look out for more Celtic and folk events at the Welsh Gold Centre throughout 2023.