Brigid’s Day occurs within The Cailleach’s Reign

The Celtic crone goddess Cailleach of the British isles gathers Her firewood for the winter’s remainder during Là Fhèill Brìghde on February 2nd during Imbolc. (Imbolc/g starts sunset February 1st and lasting until sunset February 2nd.) The Cailleach will make sure the weather that day is bright and clear if she intends to make winter last longer so she can gather plenty of firewood to keep herself warm in the coming months. Traditionally folks celebrate stormy or especially frigid weather on Là Fhèill Brìghde since it means The Cailleach has decided sleep in and will soon run out of firewood ensuring a sooner end to winter‘s chills.

It was the Dutch who brought a similar Indo European legend about a badger to America where the badger became a groundhog, native to their “new world” upon ancient Turtle Island, which is where the Groundhog Day tradition based in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, USA came from. Cailleach is by contrast decidedly human in form, said to have snowy white hair, often veiled, her name translated from Gaelic literally as “old hag”. She is mother of weather, most poignantly storms. ⛈ She rules over winter as a seasonal deity in balance with fire-wielding, milk-laden Brighid who then in turn oversees the time between Beltane and Samhain, from May 1st to November 1st. Imbolc is known as St. Brigid’s Day honoring the awakening of spring but it is still within the dominion of the divine crone Cailleach, depicted here in my watercolor sketchbook in honor of Imbolc. 🌱 I also returned the natural materials I used to make my Yule wreath from where I found them in the park next to our building today where I documented the watercolor sketch.

Where I live it was chilly and rainy so I am looking forward to seeing if an earlier spring indeed unfolds here!