Imbolc is our only indoor event, which is fitting because in the northern hemisphere, this is the coldest time of the year and the Clann would likely be huddled together indoors around the hearth.

What is Imbolc?
Imbolc is one of the four "cross-quarter" days referred to in Irish mythology. There is nearly no historical documentation for what the ancients celebrated on this day, but it has been associated with the Celtic goddess Brigit (the daughter of the Dagda, who was celebrated as the Goddess of poets, smiths and healers). Since Ireland was converted to Christianity shortly after our time period, stories of the life of the Catholic St. Brigit overlap and parallel the stories of the Irish goddess Brigit and it is now impossible to untangle them.

The traditional date of Imbolc, February 1st is also associated with the Catholic St. Brigit as St. Brigit's Day which is followed immediately thereafter by Candlemas on the 2nd. Since Christianity tended to assimilate (and transform) the traditions of those pagan cultures it converted, we see today an echo of the ancient holiday through the lens of those Christian traditions. Clann folk wishing to re-enact the spirit of the ancient holiday cannot avoid a large amount of "reconstructionism" in doing so.

The word Imbolc derives from the old Irish i mbolg "in the belly", probably referring to the pregnancy of ewes. The lactation of the ewes begins to occur at this time of year in Ireland (though the word may be interpreted simply as 'milking', and signifies the coming of Spring.

What do we do at the event?Crafts table, 1998
A craft table is set up where all those who have made an item in the past year display their work. It is tradition that all members produce some kind of craft for the table or risk the satire of the Fili, but anyone attending the feast is encouraged to participate as well.

In addition to the usual feasting, music, and indoor games, the Clann auction is also held at Imbolc. Extra items of garb, jewelry, as well as craft items (which may also be displayed on the craft table) are donated to the Clann for sale at auction. This generates some income for the Clann while providing a good way for newcomers to aquire items they may need in their pursuit of full membership.

More about St. Brigit
Saint Brigid of Kildare lived in the late 5th century AD and has become one of Ireland's patron saints. A feast celebrating her life occurs on Feb 1st as St Brigit's Day. The earliest writings referring to her can be dated to about 650 AD. Most stories about her agree that her mother was a slave to Dubhthach, a king of Leinster. St. Brigit is said to have founded a school of art, including metal work and illumination which sounds suspiciously like the concerns of the goddess of the same name.

More about Candlemas
For those of Christian persona, the date of Imbolc is coincident with Candlemas of the liturgical calendar which is fixed as 40 days after the nativity as a celebration of the Virgin Mary. Traditionally, beeswax candles to be used for the year would be blessed by a priest with an aspergillum. It is important to note that this observation is not period for our group for though Candlemas is one of the more ancient Christian holidays, it spread west from Rome slowly and did not make it even as far as France until well after the 8th century.

More resources
As more sources of information are gathered about Imbolc, they will be added as links below.