Imbolc is the Celtic festival associated with February 2 as a cross-quarter day.
Imbolc, also spelled Imbolg, is a Gaelic seasonal festival traditionally observed around February 1. It marks the midpoint between the winter solstice and the spring equinox, making it one of the four traditional cross-quarter days in the Celtic seasonal calendar.
The festival is associated with the beginning of spring, returning light, fertility, and the goddess or saint Brigid. In Christian tradition, many Imbolc customs became connected with Saint Brigid’s Day, also observed on February 1 in Ireland and other Gaelic regions.
February 2 is also Candlemas, a Christian feast that falls very close to Imbolc and shares the same seasonal position. That overlap explains why references sometimes describe Imbolc as occurring on February 2 rather than February 1. Samhain, Lughnasadh, and Beltane are the other major Gaelic seasonal festivals, but they belong to autumn, summer, and late spring respectively.