Imbolc and Brigid's Day: The first signs of spring
Today marks the halfway point between the winter solstice and the spring equinox. In my region, the local Ngunnawal call this time of year Djambari, early spring, a time when the hardenbergia vine bursts into purple flowers and the silver wattles explode with bright yellow blossoms. The August winds howl through the valleys, and the days are crisp and sunny. This is also the time of year that magpies start nesting and the dreaded ‘swooping season’ begins. We’ll learn more about magpies and the swooping season in a future article. In the meantime, let’s explore the history and traditions of Imbolc or Brigid’s Day.
Imbolc
Imbolc falls on the first of February in the northern hemisphere, and today on the first of August in the southern hemisphere. It is an ancient Celtic festival connected to the lambing season, the ‘quickening’ and the first stirrings of spring. The word Imbolc is thought to come from Old Irish, i mbolc, meaning ‘in the belly,’ referring to pregnant ewes. It could also be derived from the Old Irish word oímelc, meaning ‘ewes milk’. Sheep begin lambing at this time of year and ewes’ milk was an important source of nourishment for people, as the winter stores ran out and the new years harvest had not yet been planted.
Brigid and St. Brigid
The Celtic goddess Brigid, also called Bríde or Bríd was honoured during this time. She was associated with fire, poetry, learning, healing, water, protection, blacksmithing, livestock and dairy production. Her celebrations and traditions were incorporated into the story and feast day of the Christian Saint Brigid, one of three and the only female patron saint of Ireland (the others being Saint Parick and Saint Columba).
Brigid and the Eternal Flame
Saint Brigid is credited with founding many monasteries and abbeys throughout Ireland, Wales and Scotland, and she is particularly associated with the monastery at Kildare in Ireland, which she is said to have founded in 480 AD over the site of a pagan shrine to the Celtic goddess Brigid. This ancient shrine was situated on the ridge of Druim Criadh, under an oak tree and was served by young women who tended an eternal flame. The name Kildare comes from the ancient Irish term Cill Dara, meaning ‘church of oak.’
The nuns of Kildare took over the tending and guarding of the eternal flame for centuries, until, according to some stories, it was snuffed out by Cromwell’s army in the 16th century. In 1993, the Order of the Sisters of Brigid (Brigidine Sisters), who were re-established on 1 February 1807, re-lit the eternal flame and still tend it to this day at their Spirituality Centre, Solas Bhride, which is located halfway between St. Brigid’s Cathedral (also known as Kildare Cathedral) and St. Brigid’s Well, on the outskirts of Kildare.
The video (18:32 mins) below depicts a few of the traditions still performed during St. Brigid’s Day, as well as the history of the eternal flame and the establishment of Solas Bhride by the Brigidine Sisters.
Brigid’s Wells
Throughout Ireland and other Celtic nations, wells are considered sacred and there are many in Ireland, in particular, that are associated with Brigid or St. Brigid. These sacred wells were believed to have healing properties and people often made pilgrimages to them to wash their wounds or cleanse their bodies with the healing waters. The pilgrims often dipped a piece of rag, called a clootie, into the water and tied it to a nearby tree, usually a Whitethorn or Ash tree. It was believed that as these clooties rotted away, so would a person’s illness or troubles.
Visiting wells, cleansing the body with its healing waters and tying clooties for oneself or a loved one is a particularly important St. Brigid’s Day (Imbolc) tradition.
Brigid’s Cross
There is a long-standing tradition, particularly in Ireland, of making Brigid's crosses on the eve of St. Brigid's Day, January 31 in the northern hemisphere and July 31 in the southern hemisphere. These crosses are typically fashioned from rushes, and woven into a four-armed equilateral design, although variations with three arms and diamond shapes also exist. Brigid's crosses hold special significance as they are hung above doors, windows, and stables, serving as a warm welcome to Brigid while providing protection against fire, lightning, illness, and malevolent spirits. These crosses are usually left in place until the next St. Brigid's Day.
This video (4:15 mins) below shows how to make a Brigid’s Cross.
Welcoming Brigid
Another Brigid’s Day tradition from Ireland, Scotland, Wales and the Isle of Man was a symbolic welcoming of Brigid into the house with various rituals, often involving a female family member holding rushes or hay, circling the house or kneeling at the threshold three times, and calling out a welcome to Brigid each time. Once inside, a bed and Brigid’s cross would be made for her from the rushes.
“Brede, Brede, come to my house tonight. Open the door for Brede and let Brede come in" Isle of Mann
“Go on your knees, open your eyes, and let in St. Brigid,” said three times while kneeling at the front step, while holding rushes. The family inside responds with, “She’s welcome.” County Donegal, Ireland
“A Bhríd, a Bhríd, thig a stigh as gabh do leabaidh” ("Bríd Bríd, come in; thy bed is ready"). Hebrides, Scotland
In other regions, people would leave strips of cloth or old clothes outside their houses on St. Brigid’s Eve before going to bed and then bring them back inside in the morning. Brigid or St. Brigid was believed to bless these clooties with the powers of healing and protection.
Brigid’s Procession
On Brigid’s Day, in some parts of Ireland and Scotland, a doll known as the Brídeóg ('little Brigid' in Irish) or Biddy in English, was made from rushes or reeds and decorated with flowers, shells and bits of cloth. The Brídeóg was paraded around the community by young unwed women and girls, wearing white with unbound hair and singing hymns. In other parts of Ireland a girl played the role of Brigid, wearing a crown and carrying a shield and cross made from rushes.
“This is biddy dressed in white, give her a penny on this dark night. She is deaf and she is dumb, for God’s sake give her some.” Irish chant for ‘Biddy’s Day’ procession.
The procession went from house to house, receiving food or more decorations for the Brídeóg, after which they feasted together in one of the houses. The Brídeóg (or girl) was set or sat in a place of honour and was then ritually put to bed with traditional lullabies. After this, young men would be allowed to enter by humbly asking for permission and acknowledging the Brídeóg before joining the girls in dancing and celebration.
This short video (4:28 mins) from the National Museum of Ireland, shows some interesting footage and relics of Irish Imbolc/St. Brigid traditions.
Candlemas
Candlemas is celebrated on February 2 by many Christian denominations including Eastern Orthodox, Roman Catholics and mainline Protestants (Lutherans, Anglicans and Methodists). Candlemas is also known as the Feast of the Presentation of Jesus Christ, or Feast of the Purification of the Blessed Mary, commemorating the presentation of Jesus and the ritual purification of his mother Mary at the Jewish Holy Temple in Jerusalem.
Candlemas falls on the 40th day and the conclusion of the Christmas-Epiphany season. In places where the decorations were not taken down on Twelfth night, Candlemas was the final day to remove them. On this day, Christians took candles to their local church to be blessed before they were used throughout the rest of the year.
The farmer’s year began on Candlemas, fields were prepared for the spring sowing and the ‘servant’s year’ ended. During this time, it was customary to pay servants and farm workers the final instalment of their wages and employment was re-negotiated, either extending their employment or looking for a new job.
In France and Belgium, Candlemas was considered the day of crêpes, their round shape and golden colour symbolising the solar disc and the return of spring after the cold, dark winter. In Spain and the former Spanish colonies of Latin America, the Canary Islands and the Philippines, Nuestra Señora de la Candelaria (Our Lady of Light or Our Lady of the Candles) is celebrated by processions and feasts.
Some scholars believe that Candlemas replaced the ancient Roman festival of Lupercalia also called dies Februatus, when long strips known as februa were cut from the flayed skin of a sacrificed dog or wolf (lupus) and the Luperci (brothers of the wolf) ran through the city to purify it and promote health and fertility. The general population also performed purification rituals for their own bodies and households, to cleanse themselves after Saturnalia and for the new year.
Candlemas traditions have been kept alive by Christian congregations throughout the world, while Imbolc/St. Brigid’s Day traditions are being revived across Ireland and the other Celtic nations from the Biddy’s Day Festival in County Kerry, to the Brigid of Faughart Festival in County Louth, the Imbolc International Music Festival in Derry, and the Imbolc Fire Festival in Marsden, West Yorkshire, England. From this year (2023), Imbolc/St Brigid’s Day is recognised as a yearly public holiday in the Republic of Ireland.
Imbolc is also associated with weather lore and we will explore this in the next article, next week.
In the meantime, Beannachtaí na Féile Bríde oraibh go léir! (Happy St. Brigids Day!)
May flowers always line your path and sunshine light your day,
May songbirds serenade you every step along the way,
May a rainbow run beside you in a sky that’s always blue,
And may happiness fill your heart each day your whole life through.
Traditional Irish blessing for Imbolc