Borrowed Tradition

Today is Imbolc, the festival mid-way between the Winter solstice and the Vernal equinox in the Northern Hemisphere. The wheel is turning towards the light. Ewes will be giving birth soon. Time to think of plowing and planting as the days are getting longer and warmer.

Today is Candlemas. Candles that would be used through the year, were brought to church to be blessed. Blessing the light. A borrowed tradition and something new. Seems weather prediction was also involved. My Farmer's Almanac calendar has a little poem for today:

As fas as the

sun shines in at

the window on

Candlemas Day,

so deep will the

snow be ere

winter is gone.

Today is Groundhog's Day. Another predictor of the weather. If the groundhog comes out of his hole and sees his shadow, there'll be six more weeks of winter. If he doesn't see his shadow, Spring is around the corner (in six weeks (-; )

I'm going to press my nose up against the glass of the sunroom slider. We used to have a woodchuck that lived under the shed. I haven't seen Woody in a couple of years. I have a feeling the coyotes had a snack. Poor Woody. I don't need Woody to tell me it's getting warmer out in the sunroom. I can almost feel it (in six weeks)

No matter whether you celebrate Imbolc, have your candles blessed or place your bet on a rodent, enjoy the day.