Imbolc

Imbolc is the time of new beginings and the return of the sun. Winter is ending and spring is approaching. February 2 is also Groundhog's Day (USA). The groundhog is a manifestation of the God. He has been sleeping since Samhain and stirs in his slumber to get a take on the coming light.

If Candlemas day be sunny and bright, Winter again will show its might.
If Candlemas day be cloudy and grey, Winter soon will pass away.
(Selena Fox)

This is similiar to our sentiment of the groundhog seeing his shadow. You might wonder why if the day is clear it promises bad weather, while a harsh day promises good weather. This is because the cross-quarter days, such as Imbolc are considered inverse indicators of weather, while the quarter days, the equinoxes and solstices are considered direct indicators of the coming weather. We say that we will have "six more weeks of winter" if the groundhog sees his shadow because that is how long it is until the next sabbat.

Candlemas or Imbolc also lays the foundation for several  Christian celebrations. Because the celebration of Brigid was so ingrained in European cultures, the Catholic church named the holiday "St. Brigid's Day" in Ireland or The Feast Day of St. Blaize in France. Some pagan faiths  have a woman representing the Virgin Goddess re-light the fires and bring back the light. This celebration also helped the Catholics to ease the transition away from Pagan ways. Since they had aligned the birth of Christ (Christmas) with Yule, Imbolc became aligned with another religious observation. The  Catholic church believed that a woman was not pure and could not recieve communion for 6 weeks after giving birth. Nor could she engage in sexual relations with her husband. In that faith this holiday represents Mary once again being welcomed into society after the birth of Christ.