IMBOLC is one of the eight feasts of the modern pagan calendar, based on the ancient pagan wheel of the year. It falls on February first to second. The feast is also called Candlemas, when candles are lit to symbolize the return of the sun. It is the so-called "cross-quarter" meaning the midpoint between the winter solstice and the spring equinox. It is also the feast of St. Brigid of Kildare, one of Ireland's three patron saints. People celebrate Imbolc by baking, eating dairy products, cleaning their homes, and lighting white candles. This year it falls on a full moon, which makes it even more powerful as a turning point and culmination or fulfillment.
We are nearing the pinnacle of Spring! I long for the day when I can have the most dreamy aromatic sensual Beltane feast and celebration. However creating visual boards is the first step towards that reality.
I did go overboard with some of the selections with this one, like I tried to be more Honest in my Imbolc and Ostara board (like as if I were to actually have a feast and constructed a menu) but this one I did not care about portions or the amount of dishes present, I just threw everything in there.
As I have decided to update my 2016 fantasy feasts Beltane was next after Ostara and Imbolc. These visualization posts have helped me manifest some incredible celebrations and gatherings and as my tastes have gotten more extravagant and complicated its time for an upgrade.
In the read more there are the recipe links and additional explanations on personal symbolism and of course the image credits! I also always plan my feasts to be vegan inclusive for those with dietary restrictions but also aim for all the food to be somewhat local which matters in these seasonal feasts since it's celebrating local nature. Anyway there is something for everyone here.
1: Starters
Since we are in still in Spring of course there will be a crudité board, yet unlike Ostara which was refreshing and green, this would show all the floral extravagance of spring from the zesty radishes, edible flowers (Romanesco broccoli is technically a flower!) to floral seasonal toppings. To make the dip vegan for all to enjoy I would go for an Oatley crème fraiche dipping sauce I would infuse with some olive oil and chive blossoms. Along with this I would love to have the delicacy of chive butter snails with chive flowers. Not everyone would be adventurous for snails but there are a lot of other ideas here for starters such as the Creamy Garlic Scape with Chive Flower Pesto tart. Or the Purple Pansy Salad Rolls which would be a nice addition to the crudité board. Lastly I just love the presentation of the butterfly sandwiches. I'd imagine them to be like the little cucumber or spiced egg sandwiches you'd get at high tea.
If I were to slap all of these dishes into one feast I would mostly have the crudité board with the scape tart and the snails. I am unsure about the rolls and sandwiches because it would just be really filling before the main course! But they deserve to be seen haha.
Floral Crudite Board
Creamy Garlic Scape + Chive Flower Pesto and Asparagus Tart Recipe
Purple Pansy Salad Rolls Recipe
Snails with Chive Flowers
Tea Party Butterfly Sandwiches Source
2: Sides
The bread choice would be chive rolls. To accompany this would be floral compact butter. A lot of flowers are actually more savory and salady then fragrant and sweet. Even some of the more aromatic blooms have a vegetal undertone to their flavor which is why the violet vinaigrette caught my eye. That would definitely accompany the artichoke veggie main where guests would be able to dip each artichoke petal in. Lastly there will definitely be asparagus locally grown as they taste incredible when fresh out the garden. The ones the local garden I volunteer at taste so aromatic yet also slightly meaty? It's hard to describe but incredible sensual like the same way truffles have a somewhat "meaty" or umami flavor to them but are very aromatic.
3: Mains
The Main two dishes would be an aromatic duck served with a side of spring onions sliced into blooms. Duck also has such a fragrant and rich flavor to it that would accompany the floral salads and dishes very well. The vegan option would be roasted artichoke that guests can dip into the floral vinaigrette.
Roasted Beer Duck Recipe
Garlic Butter Charred Artichoke Recipe
Red Onion Flowers with Rosemary Recipe
Roasted Onion Flowers
4: Desserts
Ok this is definitely where I have gone overboard but there were too many dishes to choose from which made the selection difficult so I just included all of them for the visuals.
If I were to host this feast I would realistically just pick 1 or 2 of these things (A cake and a tart) but for each sabbat I have a special dessert, a tart and a simple cake in mind so it would really depend on how many people are attending. For the special dish I would love a floral jelly, a floral panna cotta or floral jello cake like with blossoms or violets. The tart is rhubarb (I know in some regions rhubarb is very summer-y but mid-April is when it's season starts here in the UK) and the pound cake would be rose buttercream or violet sugar. I do love how buttercream can be easily shaped into flowery shapes so I’d be leaning towards that.
I just love the complexity and versatility of floral desserts. You do have to be a little familiar with what you're doing because floral flavors can easily go from sensual and enchanting to soap/perfume getting squirted in your mouth. Some flavors like rose and jasmine are very safe but others like lavender and violet can get edgy. A great way to balance those flavors out is adding honey as it balances it with a nectary undertone which makes you feel like you are eating delicious butterfly food instead of a block of soap.
Lastly the Wondersmith's beautiful cake is very summer solstice vibe I will admit, but I really loved the presentation of butterflies and the elderflower blooms which are starting to bud around this time of year anyway so I thought it was worth adding in. Usually I would not include anything like strawberries in something like this as I feel they peak closer to summer solstice and are more symbolic to summer than spring for me and the region I live in currently.
Rhubarb Rose-twisted Tart
The Wondersmith Elderflower Rhubarb Fairy Cake
Lilac & Violet Panna Cotta Tart
Lavender Lemon Sugar Pound Cake
Rose Buttercream Cupcakes
Cherry Blossom Jelly No bake Cheesecake
Buttercream Pansy Cake
Black Sesame Swirl Cake
5: Drinks
Every beverage of course would be infused with more blooms and nectary flavors. I would love to serve fleurette cocktails upon arrival with fairy floss in them that would melt down upon pouring. Fleurette cocktails are pink prosecco, st germain (or elderflower syrup), rose water and a flower garnish. There would be so many options for non alcoholic drinks such as Lavender lemonade, floral teas and of course I would love to have a blooming tea being served in a glass pot during the main course.
Honorable Mentions:
Rose Tea
Turkish Delight Cocktail
6: Treats
Ok finally last part!! This would probably be omitted from a real feast I would host because we would probably get our sweet-tooths satisfied by dessert, however I always feel like including this part as treats always made holidays more memorable for me as a kid. Each holiday had its specific candy or snacks and they were like memorable tokens you acquired and snacked on days later after the celebration. Especially the candy!! If there were kids present these treats would definitely be given in little goody bags maybe in flower pots or planters as buckets to encourage them to grow something for their garden in them.
Some ideas for treats would be glazed sugar cookies (the butterfly ones), home made pixie sticks with edible glitter, rose pops (I also love the idea of dressing up regular lollipops as flowers), rose Turkish delights, violet candies and gummy worms. The only savory treat I can think of would be like kale chips.
Rose Cake Pops recipe
Butterfly Iced Cookies
Homemade Pixie Sticks
Homemade Rose Turkish Delights
Leone Violets
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Please share your thoughts with me!! Tell me about the recipes you like to have on this day or what you associate with spring. I feel like my approach to Beltane may be different from what most of the community does but its because it's often a reflection of the nature that surrounds me. I grew up this time of the year being bombarded (literally I was surrounded by magnolia trees) with flowers so Beltane has always been a sensual floral flirty fairy festival to me.
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Image Credits:
Beltane Tea by Julia Nikitina
Butterfly Animation Gif
Embracing by: James R Eads
Floral Tablescape
Bigger Floral Tablescape
Rose Lanterns
Misty Forest with Bluebells
Magnolia Tree
Mushroom Lantern
Floral candles and Lilac
Dessert tablescape
Finally posting my Samhain altar pics here! Hope all enjoyed a Blessed Samhain or summer's end, a puissant & Happy Hallows Eve/Halloween, and glorious Ancestors Night! 🎃🕯I love cross quarter days as they mark the beginning of a new season and consciousness. 🍂🕰✨
As the veil bleeds and billows between the worlds in preparation of winter and rest, I light candles to remember the hearth of self & home; I talk with my spiritual and familiar kin and allies; and invite curious thoughts and questions to fill the long winter nights. Welcome transformation and mystery! Let Samhain be a time to celebrate your roots, to release your wildest self, and to celebrate the cycle of life/death—and summer’s end. Welcome winter! 🫖🪵🕯
Imbolc, an often overlooked Sabbat on the Wheel of the Year, however I find it to be a quite lovely one. Imbolc is a cross-quarter Sabbat that represents the symbolic ending of Winter and coming of Spring. It is also a day to celebrate the goddess and saint, Brigid. She’s a wonderful figure, patron of poets, the hearth, healing/healers, and much more. Brigid has an interesting history, starting as a Celtic goddess, and then being adapted into a Catholic saint (Brigid of Kildaré). There are many ways to honor her on this day, which I’ll discuss in a video tomorrow, but the real magick is the internal work I find. She’s a very internal goddess, as many of the goddesses I work with are, and she brings out the best in us. She gives us a pathway into the beauty of the mundane and normal world. She teaches healing and patience, as well as how to express our true selves. She’s a very motherly goddess, and friend to all. She’s a very fluid spirit, being both a goddess and a saint. She can be worked with as either. I also believe she has other incarnations in other traditions. She’s a goddess for everyone, an all loving spirit, and a wonderful guide. Imbolc is a lovely time to call out to her. Imbolc is a great time to clean out the old, welcome in Brigid, and begin anew. Blessed Imbolc, hope you enjoy your day :)
Imbolc the fire fertility festival lasts February 1-2. Plant seeds as spring is only 6 weeks away. St. Brigid is Catholic version of ancient pagan festival. Presided over poetry, smithcraft, midwives, and wells. #pagan #imbolc #crossquarter #fire #poetry #witchesofinstagram (at Tara Greene Tarot Psychic Astrology Consultant) https://www.instagram.com/p/CKyM3guAKEi/?igshid=1j02qacx1xsns
