In the Belly of Winter
Since 2023, Imbolc, or St. Brigid’s Day, has been celebrated on the first Monday in February as a national holiday in Ireland. One of the four ancient Celtic seasonal holidays (the others being Beltane on May 1, Lughnasadh on August 1, and Samhain on November 1), Imbolc is thought optimistically to mark the first day of spring. Were the holiday celebrated in Maine, we would probably hew closer to simply acknowledging the fact that it is the approximate midpoint between the winter solstice and the spring equinox. Yes, dear reader, it is true: Another winter is halfway over. When you…