Celebrating Imbolc in the Rain

January 31, 2020

At VWP we love to see and support the natural affinity that exists between young children and Elders.  In the Fall we host a special Grandparents Day that many of our family members participated in with us.  Grandparents Day is one of our favorite program days!  But, of course, many of our childrens' grandparents live far away and cannot make it to Grandparents Day.  When those Elders come to town we are so happy when they ask to come and join us. We had just such an opportunity last Friday when one of our Wind Gatherer’s grandma came to visit from Wisconsin. She came dressed for the weather and ready to play and share. The children responded with enthusiasm!  Here she can be seen "feeding the baby birds". Thank you so much for your wise and loving presence in our group!

This very rainy day was one of our most enjoyable so far! We had an awesome tarp structure covering our fire circle and the day, though wet, was pretty warm.  While the mentors built two fires and made soup with the help of some children, (and the lovely vegetables and beans that families sent), other children created their own magical fun in their wilderness home that we call Mr. Toad's Crossy Roads.  Half of the group took our visiting grandma on a tour of Hartman Meadow and the woods searching for wild greens to add to the soup.  We found Bitter Cress, Nettle, and Vetch peaking out of the ground and brought it back to add to the simmering soup. Mentor Rachel wowed us all by baking perfect corn bread in a Dutch oven on the fire while we were out hiking. 

While the food was being prepared some children had time to make beautiful Earth Candles with beeswax we melted over the fire.  Ask your child how they made the candles!

We finished our day with a feast of soup and corn bread to celebrate the halfway point between Winter Solstice and the Spring Equinox, known by the Celtic people as Imbolc, and recognized by others as Candlemas or Groundhog's Day. The day was a good reminder that Spring is on the way, and that being outside on a rainy Winter day can be so much fun with good friends, the right clothing, and a lovely forest to hold us so gently.