Imbolc, the celebration of new fire

This is my fabric journal page for Imbolc . Imbolc is the celebration of  New Fire. On the morning of Feb.2 the residents of pagan Britian would put out the cooking fires in their houses. They had protected these fires and kept them going since fall. It was not always easy to get a new fire going and in cold weather it could mean your life if your fire went out. By Feb. 2 the weather was getting more mild and so much ash had built up and the houses smelled so smokey that it was time for everyone to put out their fires and clean house and start afresh. One young woman from the villiage would be chosen to take a small spark of fire in a cauldron and she would take it near the holy well and meditate on it and feed it twigs all day to keep this tiny fire going. The women would throw open the windows and doors and begin the task of shoveling out all the old ashes, scrubbing the hearth stones, and airing out the house. When twilight of evening arrived everyone was dressed in fresh clothing, the house was fresh and clean and the young woman would bring the cauldron of new fire back into the center of the village. Each family would light a torch from the small fire in the cauldron and go back to their homes and start a freshly laid fire in the fire pit to begin cooking dinner. As the dinners were cooking there was general friendliness, gathering and sharing of foodstuff and drink, and the first talk of spring planting and weddings to look forward to. It was a time to cleanse and look toward a fresh start for many people. The girl who kept the new fire was the representative of Brigid, the virginal goddess.