Imbolc is coming. Do you know where your children are?
Circle of Friends in Franklin, MA, the best coffeehouse ever!!!!!
Hello, and happy Imbolc!
What’s Imbolc? Glad you asked. Imbolc means “In the belly,’ and it’s an ancient Celtic festival honoring the goddess Brigid, who ruled over healing, fertility and the forge (goddess of blacksmiths as well as poets). Perhaps some of this might bring to mind a certain Nields song?
Imbolc marks the midpoint between the Winter Solstice and the Spring Equinox—see Katryna’s handy illustration, above. The festival is traditionally held on Feb. 1. When the Romans came to Ireland in the fifth century, they “suggested” that perhaps the goddess Brigid was really Saint Brigid. In any case, they did what Romans tended to do, which was to slap on a Christian holiday over a pagan feast day. In America, we celebrate this particular astronomical junction as Groundhog’s Day. Why? Because at one point, a natural marker for Imbolc was bears coming out of their winter hibernation. But bears were hunted to extinction in Great Britain by the 11th Century. So they started using hedgehogs as their markers. In the US, the substituted…you guessed it.
Brigid was kind of a cross between Athena, Artemis (but nicer and more protective of humans), Hestia, and the Virgin Mary (but not a virgin). Imbolc was a time of hunger, since the stores were, by then, usually depleted and people were subsisting on leftover grains from the previous harvest plus protein from milking their ruminants (often sheep). For this reason, "milk and fire" were central parts of the festival. But it was also a time of new life, inspiration, new creation.
We’re celebrating Imbolc (and Brigid) with a show at one of our favorite all-time places, Circle of Friends in Franklin MA. This New England coffeehouse has it all: a beautiful space, state-of-the art sound system, the best carrot cake in Massachusetts, and these mugs!
Our shows in NYC at City Vineyard and the Birchmere in Alexandria, opening for Dar Williams, were both delightful. I was blown away to see so many of you at these clubs. We feel loved. And we love you. Pics below.
Love, Nerissa & Katryna
Tour Schedule!
February 10 Circle of Friends Coffeehouse, Franklin MA
March 2 The Drake, Amherst MA
March 16 Old Town School of Folk Chicago, IL!
March 18 The Ark Ann Arbor, MI!
March 24 The Bread Box, Willimantic, CT
April 13 First Encounter Coffeehouse, Eastham MA 7pm show
May 3 Me & Thee Coffeehouse, Marblehead MA
Coming in the summer: Saratoga Springs, Philly area, Pittsfield, MA and much more! Plus, please support the new Iron Horse! They’ve become a nonprofit, and as such need a big boost from all of us to make their (AMAZING) new vision come true! (Please donate to the link below, scroll down and choose “The Nields Team: Easy People.”)
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