Get to know Imbolc better with 10+ real example sentences, the meaning.
Imbolc in a sentence
Imbolc meaning
A Gaelic and Wiccan festival celebrated on 1 or 2 February which marks the beginning of spring.
Using Imbolc
- The main meaning on this page is: A Gaelic and Wiccan festival celebrated on 1 or 2 February which marks the beginning of spring.
- In the example corpus, imbolc often appears in combinations such as: at imbolc, imbolc and, imbolc on.
Context around Imbolc
- Average sentence length in these examples: 23 words
- Position in the sentence: 4 start, 7 middle, 2 end
- Sentence types: 13 statements, 0 questions, 0 exclamations
Corpus analysis for Imbolc
- In this selection, "imbolc" usually appears in the middle of the sentence. The average example has 23 words, and this corpus slice is mostly made up of statements.
- Around the word, samhain, window, november, celebrations, brigid and eve stand out and add context to how "imbolc" is used.
- Recognizable usage signals include 1 november imbolc 1 february and 60 at imbolc on the. That gives this page its own corpus information beyond isolated example sentences.
- By corpus frequency, "imbolc" sits close to words such as aanand, abcd and abdurrahman, which helps place it inside the broader word index.
Example types with imbolc
The same corpus examples are grouped by length and sentence type, making it easier to see the contexts in which the word appears:
Brigid was said to visit one's home at Imbolc. (10 words)
On Imbolc Eve, Brigid was said to visit virtuous households and bless the inhabitants. (14 words)
Holy wells were visited at Imbolc, and at the other Gaelic festivals of Beltane and Lughnasa. (16 words)
New York, Pantheon Books., pp. 57–60 At Imbolc on the Isle of Man, where she is known as Caillagh ny Groamagh, the Cailleach is said to take the form of a gigantic bird carrying sticks in her beak. (39 words)
Legend has it that if she wishes to make the winter last a good while longer, she will make sure the weather on Imbolc is bright and sunny, so she can gather plenty of firewood. (35 words)
Brigid Saint Brigid in a stained-glass window Imbolc is strongly associated with Saint Brigid (Old Irish: Brigit, modern Irish: Bríd, modern Scottish Gaelic: Brìghde or Brìd, anglicised Bridget). (29 words)
Example sentences (13)
Bealtaine marks the beginning of summer and is one of the four major Irish Celtic annual festivals along with Samhain, Imbolc and Lughnasa.
It is followed by Imbolc on February 1, marking the return of spring; Beltane on May 1, welcoming summer; and Lughnasa on August 1, celebrating the fruit harvest.
As there are many kinds of Neopaganism, their Imbolc celebrations can be very different despite the shared name.
At Imbolc, Brigid's crosses were made and a doll -like figure of Brigid, called a Brídeóg, would be paraded from house-to-house.
Brigid Saint Brigid in a stained-glass window Imbolc is strongly associated with Saint Brigid (Old Irish: Brigit, modern Irish: Bríd, modern Scottish Gaelic: Brìghde or Brìd, anglicised Bridget).
Brigid was said to visit one's home at Imbolc.
From the 18th century to the mid 20th century, many accounts of Imbolc/St Brigid's Day were recorded by folklorists and other writers.
Holy wells were visited at Imbolc, and at the other Gaelic festivals of Beltane and Lughnasa.
It was one of four Gaelic seasonal festivals: Samhain (~1 November), Imbolc (~1 February), Beltane (~1 May) and Lughnasadh (~1 August).
Legend has it that if she wishes to make the winter last a good while longer, she will make sure the weather on Imbolc is bright and sunny, so she can gather plenty of firewood.
New York, Pantheon Books., pp. 57–60 At Imbolc on the Isle of Man, where she is known as Caillagh ny Groamagh, the Cailleach is said to take the form of a gigantic bird carrying sticks in her beak.
On Imbolc Eve, Brigid was said to visit virtuous households and bless the inhabitants.
Other Neopagans base their celebrations on many sources, with historic accounts of Imbolc being only one of them.
Common combinations with imbolc
These word pairs occur most frequently in English texts:
- at imbolc 4×
- imbolc and 2×
- imbolc on 2×
- imbolc is 2×
- of imbolc 2×
- on imbolc 2×