Imbolc And St Brigid's Eve Traditions

Goddess, saint and serpent worship.

Very little is known of the origins of Imbolc, a pre-Christian Irish festival that is now a national holiday in Ireland. Despite its obscure roots, we can presume from the surviving folk traditions that it was most likely an agricultural festival that followed the course of the farming year along with its sister festivals of Bealtaine in May, Lughnasadh in August and Samhain in November, all of which are national Irish holidays too. Starting at dusk on the 31st January and ending on the 1st of February, it is a time when nature begins teasing us with the first signs of fairer weather to come.

THE SEASON OF IMBOLC

The word Imbolc comes from Old Irish meaning ‘in the belly’. You may also come across it being called ‘Imbolg’ which is the modern Irish spelling or even ‘Oimelc’ the Old Irish word meaning ewe’s milk. ‘Oimelc’ is alluding to this time of year when the lambing season begins. It is important to remember that our pre-Christian ancestors would have experienced Imbolc as a season and not a fixed date on a calendar because their time keeping was led by the moon as well as the seasons.

Sheep were raised for their wool and not their milk as their yields are poor. However, due to the high mortality rate of lambs, sheep’s milk and sheep’s cheese would have been a welcomed addition to the diminishing winter food stores. 

The Coming Of Bride by John Duncan (1917)

BRIGID THE GODDESS

Imbolc is also the feast day of the Pan-Celtic goddess Brigid whose name, which is a title, has Proto Indo-European origins and means ‘The Exalted One’. Her name is cognate with the Sanskrit ‘Brhati’. In Ireland she is known as Brid or Brighid, in Scotland she is Bride, in Wales she is Ffraid, in Britain she is Brigantia (although Brian Wright, who wrote ‘Brigid: Goddess, Druidess And Saint’, does not believe that she is one and the same) and in Gaul she is Brigandu. Today, the most commonly used spelling is Brigid. Dedications made to her, names like the rivers Brent in Middlesex and Braint on the Isle of Anglesey (the latter being the last stronghold of the Druids) and names of several tribes both in Britain and across the continent, testify to how greatly she was loved. Among the early Celtic Christians she was even known as Mary of the Gael.

Brigid is a goddess associated with the hearth and home, the land, fertility, livestock, abundance, wisdom, leechcraft, agriculture, warfare, brigands, smithcraft, keening, poetry and inspiration. She is also a goddess of childbirth because women in labour invoked her assistance. Brigid is also a triple goddess, one of three daughters of the Dagda, the Good God of the Tuatha De Danann. Her sisters are also called Brigid.

BRIGID THE SAINT

Many of Brigid’s attributes and traditions have survived due to her assimilation into the Celtic Church where she became St Brigid of Kildare. In Christian lore she is flown from the island of Iona back in time to Bethlehem to be the midwife of Mary. The ancient Celts did not view time as a straight line. The midwives of early Celtic Christianity would place three drops of holy water onto the baby’s forehead just as Brigid had done at the birth of Jesus in the name of the Trinity. St Brigid was born in a liminal space, on a threshold, which fulfilled a Druid's prophecy. Her father was a Druid as was she before converting to Christianity according to the ‘Rennes Dindshenchas’. 

St Bride by John Duncan (1913)

BRIGID’S FIRE TEMPLE AND MONASTERY

It is said that St Brigid had her monastery built at Kildare, Ireland in about 585AD under a great oak. Cill Dara means ‘church’ or ‘cell’ of the oak in Irish, which makes people question whether it was built over a Druid’s sanctuary because the oak tree was sacred to the Druids. Six miles away from Cill Dara once stood the pagan fortress and ceremonial site of Dun Ailinne. In Celtic Christian lore, St Brigid’s monastery housed her perpetual flame which was carefully tended by twenty virgins including Brigid herself, using bellows and winnowing fans. The remains of a fire temple have been found and it is thought that priestesses once gathered here to tend their ritual fire while calling upon the goddess Brigid for her assistance. 

Kildare Cathedral was built on the site of the original monastery (Photo by Markiemcg1)

BRIGID’S PERPETUAL FLAME

In his ‘Topographia Hibernica’, Giraldus Cambrensis who wrote in the 12th century says that despite the flames continuously burning, the ashes never increased. After Brigid’s death, there were only ever nineteen holy women guarding the fire, each taking their turn for a single night. The nineteenth holy woman would place a log near the fire and say, ’Brigid, tend your fire’. This is your night.’ The following morning the log had burned and the fire was still ablaze.

The perpetual fire was surrounded by a round hedge that no man was allowed to cross, but if he attempted to do so he would be  severely punished. One man went mad and died and another ended up with a shrivelled foot as that was the only part of his body that had crossed the hedge before his friends managed to pull him back. Whether truth or myth, the fire was eventually extinguished with Henry VIII’s suppression of the monasteries but in 1993 the sacred flame was re-lit once more and it is now under the care of the Brigidine Sisters. 

You could say that the people of Ireland and Scotland once had their own perpetual flame that burned in the cottage hearth because they heated their homes with peat. The hearth fire was traditionally kept alight all year round except for Bealtaine Eve when it was extinguished and relit from a communal bonfire to ensure good health and abundance for the coming year. It was seen as bad luck to allow the fire to go out even during the summer. It was believed that if this were to  happen then the souls of those who lived in the home would leave their bodies. Many people boasted that their hearth had been burning continuously for hundreds of years. The act of smooring (a Scottish word meaning to smother or subdue) was the process of dampening down the fire so that it did not need tending to. This was done particularly at night time to keep the fire alight but safe by covering the embers with ash. 

Peat is turf that has been dried out before being used for domestic heating and cooking.

A DAUGHTER OF THE GOD LUGH?

An interesting tale about St Brigid says that she had a close companion called Darlughdacha who became abbess of Kildare after the death of Brigid. Her name means ‘the daughter of Lugh’ and her feast day is also on the 1st of February. Could this have been Brigid’s actual name, as Brigid like I have said before is a title not a name? It was not unusual for women to hold prominent positions in the early Christian Church; St Hilda of Whitby is another example. 

There is so much more I would love to share with you about the wonderful tales of both Brigid the goddess and Brigid the saint whose hagiographies are infused with druidic symbolism, but this will have to be for another time.

ST BRIGID’S EVE TRADITIONS

On the eve of St Brigid's Day, there was no smithwork, spinning or ploughing. Those dedicated to St Bridget did not work on this day especially if it involved the turning of a wheel such as carting or milling. Those living in County Kerry and West County Cork were so adamant about this that men would walk miles instead of riding a bike and seamstresses refused to use their sewing machines. St Brigid’s Day was a day of stocktaking both in the home and on the farm. Women took inventory of their larders to see how much longer they had to stay strict before stores could be replenished. Farmers checked their stores of hay and other animal feed, deciding how it should be portioned out.

TRADITIONAL FOOD

It was also traditional to clean and tidy the home, all in readiness to welcome St Brigid. A festive meal of ‘sowans’ (fermented oats), apple cake, dumplings and colcannon (mashed potatoes and cabbage with butter and milk) was prepared and every Irish home baked a sweet bread called ‘bairin-breac’ to be shared with neighbours along with some ale. 

Fresh butter was traditionally made today as it was an important symbol of St Brigid. Those that could gave some of the butter to the poor and others even gifted portions of meat, particularly mutton. 

TRADITIONAL OFFERINGS

The Irish believed that St Brigid travelled the countryside bestowing her blessings on folk and livestock. Offerings of cake, porridge, water, salt, meat or buttered bread were left outside for Brigid, often on the windowsill, and a sheaf of corn for her magical cow, as well as a rush mat for her to kneel on while she blessed the house or to wipe her feet on before coming in. These offerings were sometimes eaten by a poor person or the Brideog party (those who went door to door carrying a Brigid doll). If the offering was still there in the morning, it was brought inside and shared amongst the members of the household because these foods now possessed healing properties because Brigid had blessed them. In some corners of northern Ireland a table of food and drink would have been prepared for her visit instead.

St Brigid’s Cross (Photo by Culnacreann)

ST BRIGID’S CROSS RITUAL

St Bridget’s cross hung over door, Which did the house from fire secure, As Gillo thought, O powerful charm, To keep a house from taking harm. And tho’ the dogs and servants slept,  By Bridget’s care the house was kept.  (Hesperi-Neso-Graphia 1735)

The ritual for making Brigid’s crosses began with the eldest daughter of the family or even the father, taking the place of Brigid and knocking on the front door whilst holding freshly pulled rushes. After knocking they would say, 'Go on your knees, open your eyes and let Brigid in’. From inside the house the other family members replied, ‘Greetings, greetings to the noble woman.’ After this, the person representing Brigid circled the house while still holding the rushes. This was repeated three times before the door was opened and the rushes placed either on the table or underneath it. The family then sat down for their meal which was placed on top of the rushes. When they had finished eating, a thanksgiving prayer was said and then each member of the family began making their own Brigid’s cross. In some parts of Ireland, a large loaf of oat bread in the shape of a cross was placed on top of the rushes. The family would kneel on the floor around the rushes, say a prayer, then eat the bread while making the crosses. Placing food on top of the rushes was done with the hope that the family would not go hungry in the coming year.

ST BRIGID’S CROSSES

There are many different designs of crosses that are made for Brigid, some more elaborate than others, but the most common ones are the three and four armed crosses that resemble sun wheels. Before all of the crosses were hung up, they were sprinkled with holy water while saying the following prayer, ‘May the blessing of God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit be on this cross and on the place where it hangs and on everyone who looks at it.’ Within the next three days, the parents would hang their crosses on their best cow, the byres, stables and front door, while the children hung theirs over their beds. Some people preferred to take their crosses to church to be blessed, however, there were a number of priests who believed that the crosses were just superstitious nonsense. 

A Brigid’s Cross was believed to protect against fire, storm, lightning and illness. Evil spirits could not enter a house that had a cross hanging over the door. Last year’s cross was replaced with the new one and put elsewhere in the home, normally under the thatch roof. Small cloth bags containing grain were hung up next to the crosses until it was time to add them to the rest of the grain for sowing. A potato would be pinned to the roof with a sharp twig and added to the other seed potatoes when it was time for planting. Sometimes, grains and potatoes were left on the front doorstep to be blessed by Brigid. 

In the British Isles, people would soak dried rushes in fat or grease and light it just like a candle.

BRIGID’S RUSHLIGHTS

The leftover rushes were made into rushlights and lit in Brigid’s honour. In County Antrim, Ireland, a small ring made out of rushes was made and hung on spinning wheels to bless future work. These rushes were seen as curative and could be tied around sore heads and limbs at night. The following morning they were thrown on to the fire to encourage a quick recovery. Some of the rushes were placed under mattresses or pillows to protect against illness. In Donegal, Ireland, fishermen would wear a little ribbon made from the leftover rushes and took it with them out to sea for protection. Leftover rushes were also mixed with seed grains, potato crops, animal bedding and animal feed to ward off illness and danger. A cross could be taken down in urgent situations such as to bless a sick animal. It was believed to be lucky to take an animal to the fair that was wearing a spancel made out of Brigid’s rushes. However, it was not lucky to sell the animal still wearing the spancel as the owner was not only handing over his luck but Brigid’s blessings as well.

BRIGID’S PROCESSION

On St Brigid’s Eve, children went from house to house, while carrying a representation of the saint. There were many variations of the St Brigid doll with children using toy dolls or straw figures. Some were even padded brooms and churn dashes dressed in shawls and white muslin caps. They had a turnip or head made of straw and were called Miss Biddy. Some figures were deliberately made to look ugly. The children were given eggs, cake or money as offerings for St Brigid in exchange for St Brigid’s crosses and her blessings on the household. In some parts of Ireland it was a young girl, perhaps even called Brigid herself, who dressed in white and carried a cross. On the Louth Armagh border the girl carried Brigid's shield and cross while wearing a crown of rushes. Women stuck a pin in the doll’s clothing as pins were popular offerings in Scotland and Ireland for fertility and easy childbirth.

In the south and west of Ireland young men went door to door, dancing and playing music while collecting money that they would spend at the pub. They wore brightly coloured clothes, ribbons, sashes, hats and face masks. In some places the men wore skirts and conical straw hats that hid their faces. Quite often, some would be covered head to toe in straw.

‘Here is Bridget dressed in white. Give her a penny for her night. She is deaf. She is dumb. She cannot talk without her tongue’. 

On the island of Inisheer, a homeless woman went door to door begging for food while carrying a large Brigid's doll made of straw and dressed in white with a picture of the saint on the front. Some people pulled pieces of straw from the doll to add to their Brigid’s crosses and the woman blessed each of them with the doll. 

SCOTTISH TRADITIONS

In the Scottish Highlands, traditions were very similar. Young girls dressed in white and wore their hair down; a symbol of youth and purity. They took a small Bride doll made of straw and decorated with greenery, flowers, crystals and a shell placed on her heart representing the star of Bethlehem and went door to door with her. They sang and praised St Bride. Women who were visited offered up a bannock, some cheese or butter to Brigid, while others made offerings of shells, flowers and greenery that were all tied to the doll’s clothes. Afterwards the young girls locked themselves in one of their homes and prepared a feast for St Bride, placing her down in the middle of the room. Boys wanting to honour Brigid were not allowed to join the girls until after a  debate had taken place between the two groups. Feasting and fun followed throughout the night and as the sun rose, the children formed a circle and sang the hymn ‘Beauteous Bride, Choice Foster-Mother of Christ’. Whatever food was left over was shared amongst the poor women in the area. 

CRIOS BRIDE

The Crios Bride was a long piece of rope that was tied in a loop and had four straw crosses attached to it. Every member of each household that was visited stepped through the loop to gain Brigid’s blessings and protection during the coming year. In some places even cattle were passed through it.

On the island of Inisheer, Ireland, a homeless woman went door to door begging for food while carrying a large Brigid's doll made of straw and dressed in white with a picture of the saint on the front. Some people pulled pieces of straw from the doll to add to their Brigid’s crosses and the woman blessed each of them with the doll. 

BRIGID’S MANTLE

In some parts of Ireland on St Brigid’s Eve, a ribbon, a piece of cloth or some clothing was placed on a windowsill, hung up on a low roof or tied to the door latch so that St Brigid could touch it as she came inside during the night. Called the ‘Brat Bride’ (Brigid’s Mantle) it was also hung on a clothesline or over a bush. The piece of fabric was said to lengthen (it did with the morning dew) just like her mantle did in the myths. The ‘Brat Bride’ was measured before it was left out to see if it had lengthened and when it did, it was seen as a good omen; a long life, a bountiful harvest, good health for the household and their animals as well as protection for all. Because St Brigid touched the piece of cloth, its magical powers kept the wearer safe from harm or could be wrapped around the head three times for headaches or for sore and injured limbs. Men left out their belts or braces to be worn when going on long journeys. Some people even left out baskets full of cloths. The older the ‘Brat Bride’ became the more potent its healing was, especially after seven years. Mothers sewed pieces of the Brat Bride onto their children’s clothes to protect them from the Good Folk and it was also placed on sick animals, to increase milk yields and to ease birth for women and animals. Some folk left trinkets and other items outside their homes in the hope that Bridget would bless them.

BRIDE’S BED

In parts of Scotland and the Isle of Man on St Bride’s Eve, it was traditional for the women of the household to weave an oblong basket out of rushes or birch twigs and straw to make a bed for Bride which was placed by the side of the fire. A doll was crafted out of a sheaf of oats and decorated with shells, crystals and ribbons. One of the women would open the door, calling out quietly into the night, ‘Bride come in, your bed is ready’. The figure was given a wand and then placed inside the basket as an invitation for the saint to come and visit the women. The hearth’s ashes were smoothed out and examined the following morning to see if there were any marks made with the wand. In some homes, ash was sprinkled around the bed itself and footprints were looked for in the morning. It was said that if there were footprints or wand marks in the ash then Bride had blessed the household and had left her cows and cauldrons at the door to live in the home for the year. This brought good luck and prosperity to the family.

SACRIFICE

To appease St Brigid, the sacrifice of a cockerel was made by burying it alive at a place where three streams met and incense was burned on the hearth. In ancient times, cockerels were sacrificed to encourage the return of the sun.

SERPENT WORSHIP

Today in Scotland, Bride was thought to emerge from a barrow in the form of a snake which was a popular symbol for goddesses. There is evidence near Scalasaig Farm in Glenelg in the Scottish Highlands of serpent worship. Today is meant to be when adders are supposed to leave their winter nests. 

The Isle Of Skye.

On the Isle of Skye there was a strange custom, witnessed by Alexander Carmichael who wrote the ‘Carmina Gadelica’, of making a snake effigy from a stocking stuffed with peat and then beating it with tongs on the threshold, whilst singing a song of appeasement to the sacred serpent emerging from its hole. Similar customs were found in Ireland. The following are two variations of the song, but only the first verse seems to have survived. 

Early on Bride’s morn, Shall the serpent come from the hole, I will not harm the serpent,  Nor will the serpent harm me. This is the day of Bride, The Queen shall come from the mound, I will not touch the Queen, Nor will the Queen touch me.

Interestingly enough, the serpent and the cockerel are both creatures of the underworld. Was Brigid a chthonic goddess at some point, right back to the very beginning?

PILGRIMAGE

Pilgrimages to shrines and wells dedicated to St Brigid were made today and offerings left while processions were walked around the sacred site in a sunwise direction. The water from these wells was sprinkled around the home, stables and fields while invoking her blessings.  A splash of this water could help a young woman fall pregnant. 

CHARMS

Fishermen placed a shell in each corner of their home today to symbolise the fish that they would catch throughout the coming year and in other homes, a periwinkle was placed in each corner of the kitchen, but this time it was for protection of the family.. 

THE GOOD FOLK

And lastly it was believed that a changeling placed on the seashore below high tide today would be replaced by the child that the Good Folk had taken..

St Brigid by Patrick Joseph Tuohy

Brigid has the most enduring cult of any Celtic goddess and the tenacity of her customs and oral traditions is unwavering. Despite being an elusive figure, she continues to flourish today in the hearts and imaginations of so many people, captivating them with her extraordinary feats of kindness and courage. It is easy to see why she is loved so much; a no nonsense woman who can be called upon for any worry or strife. I highly suggest that you read her stories because they are wonderful. She is so much more than what people are led to believe.

Wishing you a beautiful and peaceful Imbolc and may Brigid bless you and your loved ones. 

Brightest blessings, Elissa

Please note that some of Brigid’s stories were born out of the Romantic period of the 19th century, including the tale of Brigid and the Cailleach written by Donald Alexander Mckenzie (1873-1936) a folklorist and journalist. He portrays the Cailleach as a goddess when in fact she is historically a spirit of the land.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

The Serpent And The Goddess by Mary Condren (1989) Celtic Myths by Miranda Jane Green (2000) Symbol And Image In Celtic Religious Art by Miranda Green (1992) Animals in Celtic Life And Myth by Miranda Green (1992) The Celtic World edited by M J Green (1995) Celtic Mythology by Arthur Cotterell (2000) Everyday Life Of The Pagan Celts by Anne Ross (1970) Celtic Religion And Culture by Bernard Maier (1994) The British Celts And Their Gods Under Rome by Graham Webster (1986) The Celtic Tradition by Caitlin Mathews (1995) The Lost Beliefs Of Northern Europe by Hilda Ellis Davidson (1993)  A Year In Ireland by Kevin Danaher (1972) A Calendar Of Scottish Festivals, Vol 2  by F.Marian McNeill (1959) The Ancient World Of The Celts by Peter Berresford Ellis (1998) Celtic Women by Peter Berresford Ellis (1995) Brigid’s Mantle by Lilly Weichberger & Kenneth McIntosh (2015) The Celtic Calendar by Brian Day (2003) The Celtic Year by Shirley Toulson (1997) Celtic Pilgrimages by Elaine Gill & David Everett (1997)