Imbolc: Day 6

It's the penultimate day of our Imbolc celebrations... and it's a very busy today! Lots of festivities planned to mark the season!

Winter in the Woods

This morning, I was at a Winter in the Woods celebration, run by Natalie Rossiter. We had a forest bathing session, then a delicious soup around the fire and marshmallows for toasting. Afterwards, we burned the last of the Yuletide greenery, and Natalie gave us all a little token from her garden to remind us that spring is on the way.

Hannah’s Bookshelf Imbolc Special

My Hannah's Bookshelf Imbolc Special aired on North Manchester FM this afternoon. As I was out and about a lot today, I had to pre-record the show, but there was seasonal flash fiction and Imbolc-themed music.

Wassailing at Chorlton Park

Later in the afternoon, I went to Chorlton Park for the Friends of Chorlton Park's annual wassailing. We had parkin, mulled wine and flapjacks, and we all went to sing and bang our pots and pans to wake the apple trees up in the community orchard for another year. I also bought a little crocheted forget-me-not as another reminder that spring will come again.

Imbolc Lanterns

Imbolc is a festival of light, so Rob made some little Imbolc candle holders for us, decorated with snowdrops and bonfire flames.

Imbolc Dinner

And then we had our traditional Imbolc dinner of meatloaf and spring onion mash.

Imbolc Gifts

We exchanged our traditional Imbolc gifts tonight... little seasonal-inspired whiskies that will start off our tasting sets that we'll enjoy at Christmas.

Groundhog Day

We ended the evening watching the traditional film of the season... it's Groundhog Day!

Imbolc: Day 7

It's Groundhog Day! And the final day of our (slightly muted) Imbolc celebrations this year.

Imbolc Dinner

We had our traditional Imbolc dinner tonight... vegetarian meatloaf with spring onion mash, followed by winterberry crumble.

Imbolc Gifts

After dinner, we swapped our traditional Imbolc gifts. We'll save these whiskies up throughout the year, and then enjoy them in December.

Groundhog Day

Time for the seasonal film of choice. It is Groundhog Day after all.

And so the wheel of the year turns... we'll be celebrating again (fingers crossed) at the Spring Equinox.

Imbolc: Day 6

Although it's not quite the end of our Imbolc week, it was the big night for us. Rob was on shift on Thursday, so Wednesday was the night of our Imbolc dinner and festive film. There were a couple of other things today as well...

‘Candlemas’

The next chapter in my seasonal reading (The Stations of the Sun by Ronald Hutton) was 'Candlemas'.

The Nesting

A bit of wintery tram reading today... The Nesting by C.J. Cooke.

Ronald Hutton Lecture

Not strictly seasonal, but I really enjoyed another wonderful public lecture by Ronald Hutton for Gresham College tonight, on Anglo-Saxon Pagan Gods this time. So interesting and informative (and, as always, entertaining).

Imbolc Dinner

Rob did us proud tonight with our traditional Imbolc Dinner of colcannon, followed by pear crumble.

Imbolc Gifts

We swapped our traditional Imbolc cards and gifts tonight. It's the start of another set of seasonal whiskies that we'll save to enjoy in December.

Groundhog Day

And, of course, we watched the festive film of the season tonight.

Imbolc: Day 7

It's the final day of our Imbolc celebrations. I'm a bit sad that we'll be taking the lights down tomorrow, but we've had a lovely time inventing new traditions and enjoying some festive fun.

Imbolc Lunch

I don't know if this counts as a seasonal celebration, but I had a lovely afternoon out with my mum today (including some very nice cake).

Groundhog Day

There's only really one film to wrap up our seasonal celebrations... it's Groundhog Day! (And I've also been enjoying learning a bit about the history of Groundhog Day and its European precedents.)

And so the wheel of the year turns... We'll be celebrating again at the Vernal Equinox.