Imbolg 2026

Last Monday (2nd February) I celebrated Imbolg (more commonly known as Imbolc). I normally celebrate on the 2nd but some people celebrate on 1st Feb (or from sundown on the 1st to sundown on the 2nd). And others may hold their celebrations on 31st January.

I usually make pancakes for this sabbat. They are a good fit for Imbolg. This year I made oatmeal pancakes (American style) again, using this recipe from Don't Waste the Crumbs: https://dontwastethecrumbs.com/oatmeal-pancakes/

I really had trouble getting the mix to come together this year! It was similar last year but I did get a couple more solid pancakes then. I was happiest with the pancakes the first year I made them (2021) and on Imbolg 2022.

They tasted quite nice though, except I put too much cinnamon in the mix! I used little pots of instant oatmeal like other years rather than buying a bag of porridge oats and plain flour instead of oat flour. Maybe they'd hold better with oat flour but I don't have a mixer or blender, so it would be difficult to make.

I had them with butter and golden syrup. Here's a pic:

Doesn't look very neat but never mind! lol.

Christmas Spiced Gingerbread Cake + Autumn-Winter Update (2025)

I normally post on Sundays or Mondays but didn't manage to get this finished yesterday, so am posting today instead. :)

As with previous years, I'm doing a double post, sharing what I baked for Christmas and my last quarterly update of the year (autumn-winter). (Last year I didn't bake anything for Christmas, so shared what I baked for New Year instead). Scroll down if you just want to read the update. :)

 

Christmas Spiced Gingerbread Cake

For Christmas (2025) I baked a spiced gingerbread cake. The recipe is from Sally's Baking Addiction: https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/gingerbread-cake-recipe/

It can be made as a single layer cake or a 3 layer cake and in various sizes. I made the single version. I used treacle instead of molasses, which I often do with ginger things, since it's more accessible in the UK. I also used mixed spice instead of cloves because I didn't have any and mixed spice has cloves in it.

The recipe has a cream cheese frosting which is one of my favourite icings/frostings, especially with ginger cakes! This frosting has spices in it, so I used ginger, cinnamon and mixed spice again. 

The cake was quite nice. It goes well with evaporated milk too. One of the suggestions for decorating it is festive Christmas sprinkles. I couldn't get any red and green sprinkles, so I used some multicoloured ones instead. Here's a pic:  

Imbolg 2025

Last Sunday (2nd February) it was Imbolg, more commonly known as Imbolc. I celebrate it on the 2nd, but some people celebrate on 1st Feb, or from sundown on the 1st to sundown on the 2nd. And others may do it on 31st January. I normally make pancakes, which as I've said before, are a good fit for this sabbat. This year I made oatmeal pancakes again, using this recipe from Don't Waste the Crumbs: https://dontwastethecrumbs.com/oatmeal-pancakes/

Pancake Day is later this year (because Easter is later), it's not till 4th March. Last year it was 13th February. I normally make English pancakes (similar to crepes) for that, but the DWTC oatmeal pancakes recipe would be good too. (See the bottom of the post for a few links with inspiration for that day.)

I used little pots of instant oatmeal again and plain flour instead of oat flour. I had a bit of trouble getting the mix to come together this time, but never mind! lol. They still tasted quite nice. I had them with butter and lemon. I just remembered that I normally eat them with golden syrup, but I forgot this year. Here's a pic: 

 

Imbolg 2024

It was Imbolg (more commonly known as Imbolc) the other week (Friday 2nd February). I celebrate on the 2nd but some people celebrate on 1st Feb, or from sundown on the 1st to sundown on the 2nd. Others may do it on 31st January. My usual celebration is making pancakes which are a good fit for this sabbat. This year I made oatmeal pancakes again, using this recipe from Don't Waste the Crumbs:  https://dontwastethecrumbs.com/oatmeal-pancakes/

I've made them a few times before (others years I make English pancakes, also known as crepes). As I've done other years, I didn't use oat flour, just plain flour. They were quite nice. I had them with butter and golden syrup. They would also be good for Pancake Day (see bottom of post). Here's a pic: 

Imbolg 2023

Last Thursday (2nd Feb) it was Imbolg (more commonly known as Imbolc). Some people celebrate from sundown on 1st Feb to sundown on the 2nd, or on 31st January, but I usually have my celebration on the 2nd. As I said in my Happy Imbolg! post, I normally make pancakes for this sabbat, and this year I made oatmeal pancakes again. I used this recipe from Don't Waste the Crumbs: https://dontwastethecrumbs.com/oatmeal-pancakes/

They were quite nice as usual, but they fell apart a bit this time! They were more solid last year. Never mind, lol. Here's a pic:

 

 

Happy Imbolg!

I normally post on Sundays or Mondays but didn't manage to get this finished yesterday. :) 

 

It's nearly time for Imbolg (more commonly known as Imbolc). This year it's on Thursday 2nd February (or Wednesday 1st Feb if you celebrate on that day, or sundown to sundown). 

 

For the past few years, I've written celebration idea posts for Imbolg and last year I did a post rounding them up. During 2022 I also wrote a series of posts sharing ideas and links for the sabbats rather than in-depth posts. As I said in the Yule 2022 post, I think I've pretty much covered all of the sabbats now (since each one has several posts with ideas for celebrating). So, once I've completed my current round of sabbat idea posts (which I started last Beltane), I will probably just write about my celebrations and maybe do a short post in advance of the festivals.

 

Note: If you're in the Southern Hemisphere it's nearly Lammas! Check out these posts for inspiration:

Lammas Round-up: https://livingseasonal.blogspot.com/2021/07/lammas-round-up.html

Happy Lammas!: https://livingseasonal.blogspot.com/2022/07/happy-lammas.html

 

Imbolg is the first sabbat of the calendar year and the 2nd or 3rd on the Wheel of the Year, depending on your viewpoint. Some people (like me) consider the yearly cycle to end and then start again at Samhain (also known as the Witches' New Year), while others think of Yule/the Winter Solstice as the beginning of the new cycle. And some think of Imbolg/Imbolc as the New Year instead. So do what feels right for you. :)

 

Imbolg 2022

Last Wednesday (2nd February) was Imbolg, more commonly known as Imbolc. (Or Tuesday 1st Feb since you can celebrate sundown to sundown.) As I said in my Imbolg Round-up post, I normally make pancakes for this sabbat.

This year I made oatmeal pancakes (American style). I first tried them last Imbolg and I liked them, so I thought they would be good to have again. The recipe is from Don't Waste the Crumbs: https://dontwastethecrumbs.com/oatmeal-pancakes/

I used little pots of instant oatmeal, which is easier than buying a big bag or box of porridge oats if you're not eating it a lot! The recipe uses oat flour but since I don't have a blender to make it, I just used ordinary (plain) flour. They were nice, although I think one was a bit underdone! I had them with Flora spread and maple syrup. Here 's a pic:

 

Imbolg Round-up

It's almost time for Imbolg (more commonly called Imbolc), the first sabbat of 2022! This year it's on Wednesday 2nd February, or Tuesday 1st Feb if you celebrate on the 1st. (Some people celebrate from sundown on the 1st to sundown on the 2nd.)

 

Note: If you're in the Southern Hemisphere it's nearly Lammas! Check out these posts for inspiration:

Lammas Celebration Ideas: https://livingseasonal.blogspot.com/2017/07/lammas-celebration-ideas.html

Celebrating Lammas: https://livingseasonal.blogspot.com/2018/07/celebrating-lammas.html

July Update + Lammas Inspiration: https://livingseasonal.blogspot.com/2019/07/july-update-lammas-inpiration.html

Baking for Lammas + Extra Ideas!: https://livingseasonal.blogspot.com/2020/07/baking-for-lammas-extra-ideas.html

Lammas Round-up: https://livingseasonal.blogspot.com/2021/07/lammas-round-up.html

 

The past few years I've written celebration idea posts for Imbolg. During 2021 I wrote a series of round-up posts for each sabbat, featuring a mix of past posts on the blog and links for articles on other sites. So, I'll continue that into 2022 with one for Imbolg. :)  

Imbolg is the first sabbat of the calendar year and the second or third on the Wheel of the Year, depending on whether you consider the cycle to start at Samhain (ending and beginning again) or Yule. Although some people think of Imbolg as the New Year.

Imbolg 2021

Last Tuesday (2nd Feb) it was Imbolg (more commonly known as Imbolc.). Some people celebrate from sundown on the 1st on sundown on the 2nd, but I normally have my main celebration on the 2nd.

I made pancakes, oatmeal ones (American style) this year. The recipe is from Don't Waste the Crumbs: https://dontwastethecrumbs.com/oatmeal-pancakes/

They came out quite well and were good to have for a change. You could also make them for Pancake Day on the 16th this month, but I think I'll make English pancakes for that. Here's a pic of the oatmeal pancakes: 

 

Ideas for Imbolg

 

 

Imbolg (more commonly called Imbolc) is almost here. It's 1st/2nd February, Monday (tomorrow)/Tuesday in 2021. Some people celebrate it from sundown on 1st Feb to sundown on 2nd, although I tend to celebrate on the 2nd. Another name is Candlemas (which is also a Christian festival).

I've previously written some posts with ideas and inspiration for celebrating, which you can find below:

Imbolg Celebration Ideas: : https://livingseasonal.blogspot.com/2018/01/imbolg-celebration-ideas.html

Imbolg Inspiration: https://livingseasonal.blogspot.com/2019/01/imbolg-inspiration.html

More Imbolg Inspiration: https://livingseasonal.blogspot.om/2020/01/more-imbolg-inspiration.html

 

Note: If you're in the Southern Hemisphere it's nearly Lammas! Check out these posts for inspiration:

Lammas Celebration Ideas: https://livingseasonal.blogspot.com/2017/07/lammas-celebration-ideas.html

Celebrating Lammas: https://livingseasonal.blogspot.com/2018/07/celebrating-lammas.html

July Update + Lammas Inspiration: https://livingseasonal.blogspot.com/2019/07/july-update-lammas-inpiration.html

Baking for Lammas + Extra Ideas!: https://livingseasonal.blogspot.com/2020/07/baking-for-lammas-extra-ideas.html

 

Imbolg is the first spring festival on the Wheel of the Year and the first sabbat of the new calendar year. The new year on the Wheel began at either Samhain or Yule, depending on your beliefs. It's a cross-quarter day, in between Yule/the Winter Solstice in December, and Oestara/Ostara aka the Spring Equinox in March. You will more often find it called Imbolc, but I first came across it as Imbolg in Kate West's books The Real Witches' Kitchen and The Real Witches' Handbook. It's also called February Eve, since in some traditions Imbolg is celebrated from 31st Jan to 1st Feb.

Imbolg 2020

Last Sunday (2nd Feb) it was Imbolg (more commonly known as Imbolc). As I mentioned in the More Imbolg Inspiration post, I normally just make pancakes but this year I also baked some lemon and poppyseed cupcakes.

The pancake recipe I used was the one from BBC Good Food that I've used for the past couple of years. They are English pancakes, known as crepes in other countries. You can find the recipe here: https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/easy-pancakes

They came out quite nice. I normally have lemonade to go with them but realised I'd forgotten to get any! Never mind. Here's a picture:

More Imbolg Inspiration

Imbolg (the first sabbat of the new calendar year, since either Samhain or Yule are generally considered the start of the cycle on the Wheel of the Year) is coming up on 2nd February (Sunday this year). It's more commonly known as Imbolc and also called Candlemas (although that is a Christian festival as well) and February Eve. Last year I did a post called Imbolg Inspiration which you can read here: https://livingseasonal.blogspot.com/2019/01/imbolg-inspiration.html

Note: If you're in the Southern Hemisphere it's almost time for Lammas! Check out these posts:

https://livingseasonal.blogspot.com/2017/07/lammas-celebration-ideas.html

https://livingseasonal.blogspot.com/2018/07/celebrating-lammas.html


I've done a full year of inspiration posts for the sabbats now and I've also written another post called Imbolg Celebration Ideas: https://livingseasonal.blogspot.com/2018/01/imbolg-celebration-ideas.html

So rather than repeat what I've written, I'm going to share some new links to inspiration for celebrating, as well as what I'm going to do this year. :)

Imbolg is celebrated on 2nd February or from sundown on the 1st to sundown on the 2nd (depending on your tradition/how you like to celebrate). Other people may celebrate from 31st Jan to 1st Feb (hence the name February Eve) but the scientific date varies. It is the first spring festival on the Wheel of the Year, although we are still in winter it marks the beginning of things shifting towards spring.

This time of year is the midway point between Yule/the Winter Solstice and Oestara/the Spring Equinox, making it a cross-quarter day. I found an interesting post about how it's a new year until Imbolc. Check it out here: https://www.patheos.com/blogs/thezenpagan/2019/12/its-a-new-year-until-imbolc/

Preparing for Spring + Spring Inspiration

 

I'm looking forward to spring! While this winter hasn't seemed as long as last year's (at least not in Sussex, since it hasn't been as cold and we didn't get much snow), I'm not a big fan of this season. I'm more of a summer person! The past few weeks the weather has been a bit weird- it was the warmest February on record on one day (up to about 16C (about 60F) in my area), then it returned to more typical temperatures and now we have Storm Freya. Today it's 8C (47F). The atmosphere feels "lighter" to me now. Since I get more depressed during the winter, I tend to feel better when the weather shifts and spring gets nearer.

As I've mentioned in last year's spring post, there are two starts to spring- meteorological and astronomical. The first one is 1st March and the 2nd is 20th March, the same day as the Spring Equinox (also called Oestara/Ostara). Read more about it here: https://www.rmg.co.uk/stories/topics/when-does-spring-start


Note: If you're in the Southern Hemisphere, it's almost time for autumn. You may enjoy these posts:

Getting Ready for Autumn: https://livingseasonal.blogspot.com/2018/09/getting-ready-for-autumn.html

Autumn Photos + Inspiration: https://livingseasonal.blogspot.com/2018/10/autumn-photos-inspiration.html


Last year I wrote a post about getting ready for spring which you can read here: https://livingseasonal.blogspot.com/2018/03/getting-ready-for-spring.html

This year I'm writing more about preparing for spring and also sharing some new season inspiration! :)

Imbolg 2019

On Saturday (2nd February) it was Imbolg (also known as Imbolc). Some people celebrate it on 1st Feb (or from sundown on the 1st to sundown on the 2nd) but I usually have my main celebration on the 2nd.* 

As I mentioned in my Imbolg Inspiration post, I normally make pancakes (inspired by Kate West's The Real Witches' Kitchen) and I did that again this year. I used the same recipe as last year from BBC Good Food which uses vegetable oil in the batter. They are English pancakes, also called crepes. You can find the recipe here: https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/2907669/easy-pancakes

They didn't seem as nice as last year (think I could have cooked them a bit better) but never mind! I still liked them. :) Here's a pic of the first one:

Imbolg Inspiration

 

It's almost time for Imbolg (more commonly called Imbolc and also known as February Eve), the 1st sabbat of the new calendar year, and the 2nd/3rd on the Wheel of the Year. As I mentioned in my Celebrating Yule/Christmas post, some people think of the year as beginning and ending at Samhain (Hallowe'en), so they consider Samhain as the New Year, while others count Yule as New Year.


Note: for those in the Southern Hemipshere it's Lammas time! Check out these posts for celebration ideas:

https://livingseasonal.blogspot.com/2017/07/lammas-celebration-ideas.html

https://livingseasonal.blogspot.com/2018/07/celebrating-lammas.html


Imbolg is celebrated on 2nd February (Saturday this year), or from the night of 1st Feb to the night of the 2nd (sundown to sundown). Or some people would celebrate from 31st January to 1st February, which is why it's also called February Eve. If you go by the scientific time, Marietta of Witchy Words mentions it's at 9.01pm CST on 3rd February, and 3.01am in the UK (making it Sunday). I believe the energy of it is active around that time anyway, so you could celebrate at the time that feels best to you. :)

Imbolg is also known as Candlemas, although that is more of a Christian festival based on the pagan ones. It's the first spring festival and marks the end of winter and the beginning of spring (or the beginning of the end of winter really, since we still have a few weeks to go). 

It's also a fire festival and the feast of Bride or Brigid (pronounced something like "Breed") the Irish Fire Goddess, who became Christianised as Saint Brigid. The Irish Gaelic word "Imbolc" or "Imbolg" is thought to translate as "in the belly" meaning the ewes who are pregnant at this time of year. There is another word "Oimelc" which is said to mean "ewe's milk". 

Imbolg is a cross-quarter day, meaning that it's in between a solstice and equinox. It's between Yule aka the Winter Solstice and Oestara/Ostara aka the Spring Equinox in March.

Imbolg 2018

It was Imbolg (aka Imbolc) on Friday (2nd February) and as I mentioned in my Imbolg Celebration Ideas post I made pancakes (English pancakes, also known as crepes). This year I used a recipe from BBC Good Food and they came out really nice. I was happier with them than last years'! lol. Here's the recipe: https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/easy-pancakes

The only different thing to what I normally use was vegetable oil in the batter. (You can use sunflower or vegetable oil). They had a nice taste and texture, I ate them with lemon and sugar and had Ben Shaw's cloudy lemonade to drink. I'd like to make them again for Pancake Day on 13th Feb. Here's a picture:

Imbolg Celebration Ideas

For Samhain 2016 I started a series of sabbat celebration posts. I haven't done one for Imbolg yet though, so here it is. :)

Note: If you're in the Southern Hemisphere then Lammas is coming up for you. :) You might like this post on Lammas celebration ideas: https://livingseasonal.blogspot.com/2017/07/lammas-celebration-ideas.html


Imbolg or Imbolc, also known as Candlemas is on Friday 2nd February this year. (Some people celebrate it on 1st Feb because it begins at sundown on the 1st and lasts until the end of the 2nd). Candlemas is now a Christian festival but I believe it has pagan roots. Imbolg is a fire festival, first spring festival and also the feast of Bride or Brigid (pronounced something like "Breed") the Irish Fire Goddess, who became Christianised as Saint Brigid. The Irish Gaelic word "Imbolc" or "Imbolg" is thought to translate as "in the belly" meaning the ewes who are pregnant at this time of year. There is another word "Oimelc" which is said to mean "ewe's milk".

Imbolg is the time when the land is waking and the first signs of spring start to appear. It's one of the "transitional" sabbats because while we're still in winter, spring is coming. Although it won't officially be spring until Oestara/the Spring Equinox around 21st March (I like to think that it's spring when it's my birthday at the beginning of March, but technically it's the tail end of winter!), things are shifting.

Imbolg 2017

For New Year I got the Llewellyn's Sabbats Almanac 2017 which has ideas for celebrating the sabbats. (In my family we also give a couple of presents at New Year, usually things like calendars and diaries). It started at Samhain 2016 but Imbolg was the first sabbat coming up after I celebrated. In the lead-up to it I did some activities suggested in the book, such as learning about chakras and lighting a candle. I got a Yankee Home Winter Season candle for Christmas, so I burnt that since Imbolg signals the end of winter and the beginning of spring.

Then on the day itself (last Thursday) I made pancakes like I usually do. As I mentioned in my last post I had a lemonade/lemon drink that I got before Christmas and hadn't got round to drinking, so I saved that for Imbolg. It was a lemon and mint one. (I also got a back-up drink in case I didn't like it, but I did, lol).

I made English pancakes (the bigger, thinner ones which are known as crepes in some countries). I don't make them that often so I'm not that good, lol. I did two and they didn't come out that well but never mind! Last year's were better.

Here's a picture from this year:

Imbolg 2016

Imbolg was last Tuesday (2nd February) and like other years I celebrated by making pancakes (an idea in The Real Witches' Kitchen book). This year I made English pancakes. They came out really nice this year, other times I'm disappointed with them! lol.

I put sugar and lemon on the pancakes and had them with Tesco Cloudy Lemonade. Here's a picture:

Imbolg 2015

It was Imbolg last Monday (2nd February) and I made some pancakes. Last year I made American style pancakes but this year I decided to do British/English ones. (Click on the Imbolg link to see last year's pancakes). British pancakes are bigger and thinner than American ones, they're more like the type that are called crepes in America. You can read more about different types of pancakes here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pancake

I used this recipe from the Co-Op magazine: http://magazine.co-operativefood.co.uk/janfeb2015?page=18#_ga=1.12905271.1282307902.1423407419

It's a kids' recipe but I'm not used to making pancakes and it took 3 attempts to get a decent one! Never mind, lol. I put sugar and lemon on the pancakes and had them with some Belvoir Fruit Farms raspberry lemonade from Tesco.

Since it's Pancake Day coming up on the 17th, you might want to use this recipe then. :)