The second Quarter Day of the Celtic
Year, February 1st (O.S. or 13th New Style), was dedicated
to Brigit, the Celtic goddess of the Spring, then, from about
the sixth century onwards, to St. Bride whose feast day, Latha
Féill'
Brighde, is traditionally regarded as the first day of spring.
In accordance with the policy of the early Christian church, festive
days were retained and invested with a new significance on the Christian
calendar. St. Bride's Day extends to February 2nd, and is observed
as Candlemas, commemorating the Feast
of the Purification of the Virgin Mary. The observation of Candlemas
is mainly church-based, notably in the Scottish Episcopal and Catholic
churches, which hold candle-lit services that have long outlasted
most of the secular festivities. One of the most common, cock-fighting,
is now illegal, though village ball games, such as the Borders Ba',
continue to be played on a date calculated from the Candlemas new
moon and closely associated with Shrovetide rather than Quarter
Days.
First comes Candlemas, syne the new moon
And the next Tuesday eftir that is Fastern E'en
[Note: In Scotland, there is no evidence that Imbolc, the equivalent
term in Old Irish, was ever part of Scottish Gaelic language or
tradition.]
